SHOWTIME released a first-look trailer for XY CHELSEA, directed by Tim Travers Hawkins, which will have its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on Wednesday, May 1 and premiere on the cable channel on Friday, June 7 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Executive produced by Academy Award(R) winner Laura Poitras (RISK, Citizenfour), XY CHELSEA tells the historic story of whistle-blower Chelsea Manning, whose 35-year sentence in a maximum security prison was commuted by President Obama in 2017.
Shot over two years and featuring exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes verité with Manning, the film begins on the momentous day in May of that year when she leaves prison and follows her through her journey of discovery, while also examining her place in the conversation on national security and the fight of the transgender community for rights and visibility.
Manning was arrested again in March of this year and remains in custody after refusing to testify in front of a grand jury investigating WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who was arrested in London on Thursday.
Hawkins followed Manning and her legal team as they fought to get her out of prison and for her to receive the necessary medical treatment for her gender dysphoria. Following two suicide attempts in 2016, Manning and her team tried to save her life with a long-shot request to President Obama for a commutation of her sentence before he left office. Cameras follow Manning’s fight for release and witness as she reveals herself to the world for the first time. XY CHELSEA is the journey of her fight for survival and dignity, and her transition from prisoner to a free woman.
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