ATLANTA, GA (September 9, 2015) — The Reconciliation and Restoration Center of New Life Covenant Church will be one of four sites across the country partnering with the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA) to sponsor “REEL Justice, Exploring Mass Incarceration through Film” September 18-19.

Leroy Barber, director of CCDA, will speak at the festival at 7 p.m. Friday night. The acclaimed film The Throwaways will be shown at 10 a.m. Saturday and followed by discussion.

Activist filmmaker Ira McKinley directed the movie, which is a personal exploration of urban life in Albany, New York, and the impact of police brutality and mass incarceration on the black community.

“We believe the issues and ramifications of the private prison industrial complex and its impact on mass incarceration is one of the most important challenges of the day for both the church, in particular, and American society as a whole,” said New Life co-pastor Timothy Rodgers.

The festival also is being held in Berkeley, California; Buffalo, New York; Raleigh, North Carolina.