On Sunday, August 11th, actress and comedian SHERRI SHEPHERD, hosted a private screening of her new film, BRIAN BANKS, for 50 young men from various schools and organizations from the Chicagoland area at the AMC River East 21. A Chicago native, Shepherd, invited young men from Urban Prep Academy, Creative Cypher, B.A.M(Becoming A Man), College Mentoring Experience and S.O.S. Villages. Special guests in attendance included cast members for Showtime’s hit series “The Chi” — Yolanda Ross, Tai Davis and Cedric Young; Shepherd’s Chicago-based family including her dad Mr. Lawrence Shepherd and his wife; and local fans and supporters.

Shepherd had the following to say:

“It was really important for me to come back to my Chicago hometown and buyout a theater to host this screening because I particularly wanted young people to be inspired by Brian Banks’ story and the powerful and timely message in this film. This is a young man whose resilience, faith and courage kept him going despite the circumstances he faced. He is a hero.”

The inspirational true story that follows the life of Brian Banks (played by Aldis Hodge), an All-American high school football star committed to USC who finds his life upended when he is wrongly convicted of a crime he didn’t commit. Despite lack of evidence, Banks is railroaded through a broken justice system and sentenced to a decade of prison and probation. Years later, with the support of Justin Brooks (played by Greg Kinnear) and the California Innocence Project, Banks fights to reclaim his life and fulfill his dreams of playing in the NFL. Sherri Shepherd portrays Leomia Delaney, Brian Banks’ devoted mother who loved her son and never gave up hope or belief in her son’s innocence.

Cast:

Aldis Hodge, Sherri Shepherd, Greg Kinnear, Morgan Freeman, Melanie Liburd

Synopsis:

The inspirational true story of Brian Banks (Aldis Hodge), an All-American high school football star committed to USC who finds his life upended when he is wrongly convicted of a crime he didn’t commit. Despite lack of evidence, Banks is railroaded through a broken justice system and sentenced to a decade of prison and probation. Years later, with the support of Justin Brooks (Greg Kinnear) and the California Innocence Project, Banks fights to reclaim his life and fulfill his dreams of playing in the NFL.

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Brian Banks is in theaters!