Screenings · Conversations · Community Programs
There is no single way to host Redemption Time. Present the film as a standalone screening, pair it with a community conversation, invite an artist to participate, add live music or poetry, develop a workshop or residency, or create a larger partnership across multiple locations.
Tell us what you are imagining—even if the details are not settled. We will help identify the right format and prepare an appropriate proposal.
Flexible by design
Redemption Time brings poetry, jazz, cinematic imagery, and honest storytelling into conversations about incarceration, responsibility, resilience, creativity, and change.
Present the film at a cinema, arts center, library, school, college, faith community, nonprofit, or community venue.
Follow the film with a locally moderated conversation, facilitated reflection, or community-partner panel.
Invite director David Gonzalez, Christian Howes, or Jimmy Santiago Baca for a virtual or in-person conversation, Q&A, or appearance, subject to availability.
Pair the film with live music, poetry, storytelling, or a multidisciplinary performance involving project artists, local artists, or both.
Build a deeper experience through workshops, classroom visits, curriculum, artist conversations, performances, or a multi-day residency.
Create a private or public program with correctional facilities, reentry organizations, restorative-justice initiatives, or justice-impacted communities.
Present the film theatrically, at a festival, as a ticketed event, or as part of a fundraiser. Arrangements are tailored to the event.
Bring communities together through a virtual event, multiple branches or campuses, a series of screenings, or a larger institutional partnership.
Who we work with
Build the right program
One or multiple showings or locations, discussion materials, promotional resources, and planning guidance appropriate to the arrangement.
A facilitated discussion, audience reflection, local community-partner panel, or virtual or in-person artist conversation.
Live music, poetry, storytelling, workshops, classroom visits, educational programs, or residencies.
Film licensing and support are shaped around the event. Artist participation, expanded facilitation, live performance, workshops, residencies, travel, and custom production are discussed separately. No settled date, venue, budget, or format is required to begin.
Past events show what is possible
Redemption Time has been presented in cinemas, colleges, correctional facilities, churches, libraries, music venues, performing-arts centers, and online.
Events have ranged from intimate private discussions to public cinema screenings, community panels, livestreams, artist Q&As, live music and poetry, educational workshops, and multi-day university residencies. Past collaborators represented on the site include Bard Prison Initiative, Lancaster Bail Fund, Mental Health America, universities, theaters, faith communities, and justice and reentry organizations.
Explore Screening and Partnership HighlightsFor libraries
Libraries are natural homes for stories, learning, and community conversation. A library can explore acquiring the film for circulation, hosting a community screening, or building a larger program with local partners.
A dedicated library purchasing and screening pathway is in development. For now, use the conversation form below and mention your library, branch, or system.
Discuss a Library ProgramPrimary next step
You do not need a settled date, venue, budget, or program before reaching out. Name and email are enough to begin; share anything else you already know.
The inquiry form appears directly below. Marketing updates remain separate and optional.
On April 19, 2026, at 4:00 PM, Trinity United Methodist Church will host a special screening event of Redemption Time, a 70-minute performance film featuring poet Jimmy Santiago Baca and Asheville-based jazz violinist Christian Howes — artists whose lives were shaped by incarceration and who now give voice to stories of dignity, struggle, and renewal.
Directed by David Gonzalez, the film blends spoken word poetry, live jazz, and cinematic storytelling into a powerful experience tracing journeys from trauma and incarceration toward healing, belonging, and personal freedom.
The event invites the community to reflect on themes that resonate far beyond the screen — belonging and isolation, judgment and dignity, harm and healing, and the possibility of second chances. Admission is free, with optional donations.
The program will begin with live music and poetry readings, followed by the film screening, a panel discussion, and a closing reception at Deep Time AVL. The reception offers attendees an opportunity to connect and reflect on the film’s themes with neighbors, artists, and community partners.
This event is part of Second Chance Month, a national campaign raising awareness about the impacts of incarceration while encouraging second-chance opportunities and community reintegration.
Community partners include Deep Time AVL, 12 Baskets Café, Asheville Poverty Initiative, the Buncombe County Re-entry Council, the UNCA Prison Education Program, and Trinity United Methodist Church.
Sunday, April 19, 2026
4:00–4:20 PM — Live Music & Poetry
4:20–5:30 PM — Redemption Time Screening
5:30–5:50 PM — Panel Discussion
5:50–6:15 PM — Reception
Location:
Trinity United Methodist Church
587 Haywood Road
Asheville, NC 28806
Film info and trailer:
https://redemptiontimeshow.com/
Redemption Time centers on two artists who emerged from incarceration to become powerful voices for change. The film confronts injustice while lifting up human dignity, creative resilience, and personal healing. Through an intimate blend of artistic forms and storytelling, the work explores universal tensions — belonging and isolation, judgment and dignity, harm and healing — while inviting viewers to look beyond labels and consider what it means to be human, to belong, and to begin again.
“Redemption Time transcends dualities… It’s a profound invitation into the deepest truths of our shared humanity.”
— Dr. Peter Candler, Author
Christian Howes
Producer, Redemption Time
chris@christianhowes.com
(614) 332-8689
Jess Godden
Community Outreach Coordinator
Trinity United Methodist Church
trinitywavl@gmail.com
828-253-5471 ext. 101
Previews of the full film available upon request.
