Lionsgate's Codeblack Films To Pick Up 'Angela Davis' Documentary

Free Angela, an upcoming documentary chronicling the life and times of the young college professor turned revolutionary, has found a distribution home.

Codeblack Films has acquired the theatrical rights to Free Angela and All Political Prisoners, which was written and directed by Shola Lynch. The film made its debut at last year's Toronto Film Festival and picks apart how the young college professor became one of America's most renowned revolutionaries and ended up on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List.

The plan is to release the film exclusively in select AMC theaters in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Oakland, Philadelphia and Atlanta on April 5, 2013. "We knew that this film was important and would not only shed a spotlight on history, but provide a flashlight for our future," said Jeff Clanagan, CEO of Codeblack Enterprises. "Angela Davis is a staple in history and continues to cross generational and cultural lines in her plight to fight for the freedom of all people," Clanagan said in a statement Wednesday.

Free Angela marks Shola Lynch's second film involving activism and upheaval as the subject. The filmmaker made her debut in 2004 with Chisholm '72 — Unbought & Unbossed, which profiled the African-American Congresswoman's unsuccessful run for the Democratic Party's 1972 Presidential nomination.

Will Smith and James Lassiter's Overbrook Entertainment will executive produce this project.

Props: Deadline