SONY PICTURES CLASSICS TO RELEASE CHARM CITY KINGS DIRECTED BY ANGEL MANUEL SOTO

NEW YORK (December 17, 2019) – Sony Pictures Classics announced today that they will release CHARM CITY KINGS, a film by Angel Manuel Soto, in North America. It was recently announced that the film will debut In Competition at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. Following the film’s festival premiere, Sony Pictures Classics will release CHARM CITY KINGS in select theaters on April 10, 2020, followed by a wide release on April 17, 2020.

From a screenplay by Sherman Payne with a story by Chris Boyd & Kirk Sullivan and Academy Award® winner Barry Jenkins (Moonlight), CHARM CITY KINGS is inspired by the 2013 feature film documentary by Lotfy Nathan. The film stars Jahi Di’Allo Winston, Meek Mill (in his feature film debut), Will Catlett, Teyonah Parris, Donielle Tremaine Hansley, and Kezii Curtis. CHARM CITY KINGS is produced by Caleeb Pinkett, Clarence Hammond, and Marc Bienstock and executive produced by Jada Pinkett Smith, Will Smith, and James Lassiter of Overbrook Entertainment.

Mouse (Jahi Di’Allo Winston) desperately wants to join Baltimore’s infamous Midnight Clique, a fearless group of dirt bike riders who rule the summertime streets. When Midnight’s leader, Blax (Meek Mill), takes 14-year-old Mouse under his wing, Mouse soon finds himself torn between the straight-and-narrow and a road filled with fast money and violence.

“Growing up in Puerto Rico as an aspiring filmmaker, I would’ve never fathomed having my film open with the same logo as many of my favorite films and have its world premiere in Sundance,” said Angel Manuel Soto. “I’ve always admired Sony Pictures Classics’ extraordinary taste and curatorial eye, and to be a part of their roster is a dream come true. I am forever thankful to Caleeb and Clarence from Overbrook for giving me the privilege of bringing this beautiful story to life with such a talented cast and crew, and I can’t think of a better company to bring CHARM CITY KINGS and its message to the world.” 

“We are excited to be bringing this richly energized and timely drama to American audiences. Angel Manuel Soto is an important voice in independent film and we look forward to celebrating him and the movie at the world premiere in Sundance. And it is great to be in business again with our friends at Overbrook,” added Sony Pictures Classics.

ABOUT SONY PICTURES CLASSICS  

Michael Barker and Tom Bernard serve as co-presidents of Sony Pictures Classics—an autonomous division of Sony Pictures Entertainment they founded with Marcie Bloom in January 1992—which distributes, produces, and acquires independent films from around the world.  Barker and Bernard have released prestigious films that have won 39 Academy Awards® (35 of those at Sony Pictures Classics) and have garnered 173 Academy Award® nominations (147 at Sony Pictures Classics) including Best Picture nominations for CALL ME BY YOUR NAME, WHIPLASH, AMOUR, MIDNIGHT IN PARIS, AN EDUCATION, CAPOTE, HOWARDS END, AND CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON.

ABOUT OVERBROOK ENTERTAINMENT

OVERBROOK ENTERTAINMENT is a Film and Television company devoted to the creation of extraordinary entertainment art and its delivery to all people of the world - a vision shared and cultivated by Overbrook’s partners: James Lassiter, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Will Smith. Overbrook’s diverse slate of critically acclaimed and blockbuster feature films has grossed more than $2.5 billion in worldwide box office receipts. Some of Overbrook’s most notable projects include HITCH, THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS, I AM LEGEND, THE KARATE KID, Netflix’s TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE, HALA, which recently debuted on Apple TV+, and the eagerly-anticipated BAD BOYS FOR LIFE.

ABOUT SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT  

Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production and distribution; television production and distribution; home entertainment acquisition and distribution; a global channel network; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; development of new entertainment products, services and technologies; and distribution of entertainment in more than 142 countries. For additional information, go to http://www.sonypictures.com.