Life & Lifedirected by NC Heikin

The hardest person in the world to forgive is yourself.

For Press and Media: John Wildman 323-600-3165, john@wildworkspr.comFor Sales: James Egan, mjamesegan@gmail.com

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LOGLINEAfter serving 35 years in prison for murder, musician Reggie Austin faces an uncertain future back onthe streets as he tries to rebuild a life, reconnect with his family, and armed with little else but his heartand his music, find a way to survive.

SYNOPSISLIFE & LIFE tracks the journey that musician Reggie Austin takes to redeem his life following a murderconviction 40 years ago. With surprising honesty and depth, the film looks at Austin’s effect on hisfellow inmates and his efforts to reconnect with his family, as well as questioning parole and sentencingpractices through his story. Ultimately, the film reveals the steep and dangerous hill ex-prisoners mustclimb upon release to free themselves and create a positive future. LIFE & LIFE is a story of thestruggle for redemption and hope against near impossible odds, accompanied by a soundtrack thatcomes straight from Austin’s heart. Running Time: 79 minutes

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DIRECTOR’S STATEMENTMy deepest passions are stirred by human rights violations, whether at the hands of dictators or as aresult of injustice in the U.S.A. The problem of mass incarceration in the U.S. is so huge it often feelsoverwhelming. Reggie's story is a path into the deepest complexities of the many issues, especially thenot often discussed sentencing and parole practices. He is poetic and penetrating about both themistakes he made in his own life and the inequities of our criminal justice system. Because he defiesexpectations and easy categorizations, his story has led me to careful reflection. To what degree do ourprisons exist to punish perpetrators, protect the public, or reform those incarcerated? How long is longenough? Reggie can never bring back the life he took, but if he can help bring change, that might be aredemption of its own.

Inspired by the serendipity of our meeting, Reggie's long struggle to right his wrong, and the many lifersI've met since I began this, my goal is for Life Crime to carve out a significant place in the criticalnational debate on criminal justice.

ORIGIN OF THE FILMIn 2012, I was in the thick of making Sound of Redemption, The Frank Morgan Story (100% Fresh onRotten Tomatoes.) Frank Morgan was an exquisite jazz saxophonist who spent half of his life in and outof prison, derailed by his heroin habit. Word had it, he did some of his best playing with a big band offellow jazz junkies in San Quentin. With no archival footage of these historic concerts, I decided tocapture the feeling by filming a new live concert in San Quentin with jazz stars who had all known orplayed with Frank. The audience would be the inmates, as they had been in Frank Morgan’s day.

At the end of this concert, one inmate asked if he could sit in with the band. The warden nodded hisOK. So on Oct 12, 2012, Reggie Austin, inmate # B57661 played a tune with the All-Star band in SanQuentin. Later I heard he said the night changed his life.

I kept track of Reggie. Inspired by the concert, he was attempting his 13th parole hearing. I thought Imight make a short with a happy ending— a long time prisoner gains parole because of the power ofmusic. When I found out what his crime was, though, I had doubts. Reggie did gain parole in 2015 after35 years, so I went and interviewed him. I discovered a sensitive man who had radically changed fromthe criminal he once was.

Reggie never denied he deserved to be punished for his crime, but he was able to pinpoint the manyoverlapping injustices he and so many others have been through at the hands of the criminal justicesystem. I was convinced the story merited deeper inquiry. And, as hard as prison had been, nothingcould have prepared him for the challenges he would face on the outside.

SCREENINGS + AWARDSNominee - HBO Max Best DocumentaryBrooklyn Film Festival, New York - Best DocumentaryNew Hope Film Festival, Pennsylvania - Audience Choice Award, Best DocumentaryMinneapolis-St Paul International Film Festival, MinnesotaMartha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival, MassachusettsL’Europe autour de l’Europe, FranceDOC-Cévennes - Festival international du documentaire en Cévennes, FranceWoodstock Film Festival, New YorkUnited Nations Association Film Festival, California

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THE TEAMNC Heilkin, DirectorNC Heikin began her career at La Mama Experimental Theatre Club in New York and went on to workon and off Broadway as an actress, singer, dancer, writer and director. She has written screenplays forDisney and Paramount as well as French TV networks. In 2004, she made her directing debut with herprize-winning short, mañana, available on Indiepix. Her first documentary, Kimjongilia, about NorthKorean refugees, premiered at Sundance, won the One World Human Rights Best Film 2010, and hasbeen seen by millions of people around the world, including on The Documentary Channel and Netflix.Her most recent film, Sound of Redemption, The Frank Morgan Story about a troubled jazz musician,was produced by bestselling author Michael Connelly and premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival in2014 and theatrically in NY and LA in 2015. It has a 100% Fresh Five Star rating on Rotten Tomatoes,and recently won the Best Biographical Documentary at the Sound on Screen Festival, South Africa.NC is a Sundance and Film Independent Fellow.

Lee Child, Executive ProducerLee Child is the #1 internationally bestselling author of the Jack Reacher thrillers. His debut, KillingFloor, won both the Anthony and the Barry awards for the best first mystery, and The Enemy won theBarry and the Nero awards for the Best Novel. “Jack Reacher”, the film based on the ninth novel, OneShot, starred Tom Cruise, Robert Duval, Rosamund Pike, Jai Courtney, and David Oyelowo anddebuted in December 2012. Child, a native of England and a former television director, lives in NewYork City and Wyoming with his wife and daughter. His official website is LeeChild.com.

Nicole London, producerNicole London is the Grammy-nominated Producer of Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool, a majorinternational documentary on the legendary musician Miles Davis. Recent credits include AMERICANMASTERS Sammy Davis Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me, The Talk: Race in America, and 16 short films nowplaying in the Segregation Gallery of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African AmericanHistory & Culture in Washington, DC. Three of her recent films have been nominated for NAACPImage Awards: Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool, AMERICAN MASTERS August Wilson: The GroundOn Which I Stand and Firelight Media’s The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution, the latterof which was also nominated for a 2016 Primetime Emmy.

Jessica Wolfson, producerJessica Wolfson is an award winning documentary director and producer. Her work has been broadcaston PBS, IFC, Discovery Channel, TLC, and played film festivals such as Sundance, Tribeca, SXSW,DocNYC, Full Frame and more. Jessica has created content for ESPN, PBS, MTV, CBS All Access,Wall Street Journal, Conde Nast. At IFCtv, Jessica developed and produced documentaries withrenowned filmmakers including Kirby Dick, Steve James, John Landis, and Jon Favreau. Herdocumentaries include RADIO UNNAMEABLE (Kino Lorber/PBS), HOT GREASE (DISCOVERYCHANNEL) and THE KANSAS EXPERIMENT (PBS Independent Lens). Jessica has acted as aconsultant and impact producer for many documentary projects, a mentor for IFP and Tribeca FilmInstitute and teaches at New York Film Academy and Austin Community College.

LINKSWebsite https://lifelifefilm.com/Trailer https://vimeo.com/547790111Twitter https://twitter.com/LifeLifeFilmInstagram https://www.instagram.com/lifeandlifefilm/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/LifeLifeFilm/

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PRODUCTION STILLS

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CREDITSWritten and Directed by

NC Heikin

Executive ProducerLee Child

Produced byNC Heikin

Nicole LondonJessica Wolfson

Edited and Co-Produced byMichèle Hollander

Additional Editing Joel Plotch

Director of PhotographyMike Seely

Don StarnesDavid Aubrey

Director of Photography, Recreations Alejandro Mejia, AMC

Field ProducerMarcia Jarmel

Additional PhotographyNC Heikin

Kyle SaylorsZak Boyle

Motion GraphicsWilhelm Ogterop

Original MusicNoah Kellman

Additional MusicPaul Brill

SoundJames BeckerEmile Bokaer Jim Granato

Claudia KatayanagiGreg MillerRob Weiner

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Camera AssistantAnton CorbaVincent Pate

GafferMakoto MatsuoCollin Chiucchini

Set DesignMalcolm Pépin

Château Brooklyn

Associate ProducerSteve HeikinRobert Pépin

ActorsCharles C. Ferguson

Danielle Fraboni LaRaufMonique Thomas

Voice ActorsBrian D. Coats

Stephanie IttlesonJon Lillian

Daniel MarcusStuart Richel

Liz Wisan

Production CoordinatorsJustine Rose Arman

April SchroerNora Elisabete Zubizarreta

Production AssistantsJesse Anderson

Anne CasperJoshua Edwards

Mollie MooreShelah MoodyWanda Sabir

PropsLaurence Miller

Hair and MakeupSammy LaCombe

Sound DesignCorinne Rozenberg

Bruno Tarriere

Re-recording MixerBruno Tarriere

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Color GradingEric Salleron

GraphicsMatthew Baldwin

Creative ConsultantCynthia Kane

Su Kim

Additional EditingSophie BrunetAaron Warren

Eugene Yi

Trailer EditorJoel Plotch

Assistant EditorsJaime Magnard

Emily ChaoSteve Dabal

Pauline ArchangeClémence Prost

Promotional Materials EditorsMatthew Cohn

Emily ChaoEmmanuel Dayan

Kurt FeldhunRémi Villon

TranscriptionsJamie Pastor Bolnick

Legal CounselJuliette Lauber

AccountingBoris Geiger Accounting

Music SupervisorBrooke Wentz, The Rights Workshop

FeaturingReginald Austin

John AustinMargaret AustinMaxwell Austin

Greg “Dee” Dixon Darryl Farris

Eric GladstoneRicky Hayes

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Rebecca KatzGrace Kelly

Rick JacksonNyree Austin Monroe

Gail MuldrowDr. Daniel Nagin

Gilbert RiveraLt. Samuel RobinsonWilbert “Rico” Rogers

Tom SawyerRobin Shakely

Allen “Squirrel” WareKeith Wattley

Special ThanksJudith BishopPatricia Bock

Raphaele Casale, CDCRStéphanie Herminie &

Atelier PlaniRobert Liner

Luis Patino Jr.Robyn Sandberg

Redelia Shaw

With Gratitude to all of our amazing Kickstarter donorsRoss Bauer

Ronald CarterMichael KarlinElodie Keene

Pat KoganZizi and John LaCava

Robert LinerGwen Wynne

Mindy AbrahamDiana Adams

Judy AllenKate Amend

Barbara ArmstrongMyra Bellin

AJ BuckinghamGerri Chanel

Sharon ChattenSusan ChiddixEllen CohenAlex Coke

Janet ConnLois B. Cooper

Georges & Rosalie Corraface

Francine CrawfordJames Dalessandro

Johanna DemetrakasJames Egan

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Nancy Fales GarrettRobin Fierstein

The Fischer & Wexler Families

Janis & David GlusmanJoan GolanJan Gross

Mark GrossCynthia Hedstrom

Alan HeineJustin HertzbachYvonne R IsaacAlan Jacobsen

Christian Joyeux-BouillonEmily Kaufman

Irene and Robert KellyEllen Kesend

Margery KimbroughBarbara Kolsun

Nick LaCavaClaire Lewis

Michael MassiMarina and BillLinda Marlowe

Reggie MarshallRobin McWilliams

Philip MessinaDavid NovackMartha Novick

Samuel OkoshkenJim PlannetteSteve PressJerome RaimMartin Raim

Jack ReacherLouise RowlandRobyn Sandberg

Marie SapetMichael Sherman

Anne SillsAlan Teder

David Vidal-DupuyFaroukh ViraniEllen WeberNancy Wiese

Elizabeth WinthropLeah Wolchok & Davina Pardo

Stills and Footage ArchivesApple of Discord - Tamara Perkins

Reginald AustinMargaret Austin

Backbone Media - Noel SchwerinCalifornia Department of

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Corrections & RehabilitationBudget Films

Pond 5Getty ImagesKino Library

Oddball FilmsShutterstock

MUSIC CREDITS

SugarWritten by Stanley Turrentine

Performed byReggie Austin: piano

Mark Gross: saxGrace Kelly: sax

Delfeayo Marsalis: tromboneRon Carter : bass

Marvin Smitty Smith: drumsCourtesy of Hal Leonard

By the GraveWritten by Grace Kelly

Performed byGrace Kelly: alto sax, vocals

Tim Lefebvre: bassHenry Hey: piano

Lemar Carter: drumsCourtesy of PAZZ Publishing

A Moment Aloneby Buster Williams

Courtesy of Soroka Music LtdUniversal Music Enterprises

Performed by Buster Williams

Begin AgainWritten by Grace Kelly

Performed byGrace Kelly: saxophone

Giulio Carmassi: all other instrumentsCourtesy of GK Entertainment

LullabyWritten by George Cables

Performed byMark Gross: sax

George Cables: pianoCourtesy of Concord Music Group, Inc.

Ballad for MCWritten by Grace Kelly

Performed by

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Grace Kelly: saxophoneJeff Babko: piano

Steve Hass: drumsDan Lutz: bass

Courtesy of PAZZ Publishing

Sunshine of My HeartWritten by Allen. K. Ware

Performed byAllen K. Ware : piano and vocals

Slow DancingWritten by Wilbert Rogers, Jr.

Performed byWilbert Rogers, Jr.: piano and vocals

Darryl Farris: bassGreg Dixon: drums

LOGOSNew York State Council on the Arts

Independent Film ProjectAvidia

Solo & CoChateau Brooklyn

Green Garnet Productions

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