CLEMENCY Special Screenings

Talent attending: Chinonye Chukwu (Director), Aldis Hodge (Talent), Alfre Woodard (Talent)

Commanding the screen, Alfre Woodard plays Bernadine Williams, a stoic prison warden challenged with overseeing death row executions. She navigates the physiological complexities and consequences of regularly taking a life, treating her profession with discipline and the inmates with dignity. As the invisible toll takes effect and the next execution looms, Bernadine detaches emotionally from her husband and colleagues, struggling to keep her life together.

Director Chinonye Chukwu crafts an intimate portrait of one woman’s internal battle for freedom and grace. While the film boasts a skillful ensemble, including Richard Schiff, Aldis Hodge and Wendell Pierce, it is Woodard’s powerful performance that elevates this drama to new heights. Awarded the US Narrative Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, CLEMENCY showcases the collateral damage of flawed justice. –Sarah Harris