EXCLUSIVE: Performance footwear brand Hoka is providing traction for a new documentary filmed within California’s oldest state prison.
The company based in Goleta, California will fund the upcoming theatrical release of 26.2 to Life, according to an announcement today from Film Hālau, producer of the documentary. The film directed by Christine Yoo “goes behind the walls of California’s San Quentin State Prison, where three men sentenced to life in prison for murder undertake running a marathon on a quest for redemption and freedom — or something like it.”
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26.2 to Life will arrive in theaters in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, and Boston on September 22. It will also have a 72-hour virtual presentation nationwide, which audiences can experience between September 29 through October 1. According to a release, select screenings will feature a forward from lawyer, activist, and New York Times bestselling author of Just Mercy Bryan Stevenson, the founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, “a nonprofit that provides legal representation to prisoners who may have been wrongly convicted of crimes, poor prisoners without effective representation, and others who may have been denied a fair trial.”
Hoka , a maker of athletic shoes and apparel, has become one of the fastest growing companies of its kind. “Everything we do is rooted in optimism,” the company website notes. “Because every run is about more than just a run. It’s about finding oneself. Losing oneself.”
Those words could apply to the theme of the documentary. Hoka says beginning this year it will also be donating running shoes for San Quentin’s running club, the 1000 Mile Club.
“As a brand rooted in the belief that the power of movement is transformational, Hoka is proud to partner with 26.2 to Life and donate our footwear to the 1000 Mile Club” said Erika Gabrielli, Hoka’s VP of global marketing. “The impactful stories shared in this film further underscore the positive power of running, which is something that Hoka hopes to share with people all over the world.”
Filmmaker Christine Yoo said in a statement, “We are tremendously grateful for Hoka’s support to help us bring the story of the 1000 Mile Club to a wider audience. It is our hope that viewers will see that incarcerated people are more than the worst thing they’ve ever done and that running has the power to transform lives – even in the unlikeliest of places.”
The documentary was shot over the course of three years, according to a release. “[W]ith unprecedented access to the prison, this character driven film unfolds via cinema verite, giving us an intimate look at these mens’ lives. The film follows them on and off the makeshift track, as they confront the challenges of aging, maintaining family relationships, getting an education and engaging in meaningful work from behind bars, all while knowing that they may never again see life on the outside.”
26.2 to Life premiered at DOC NYC in 2022. It went on to win Best Documentary at the Seattle International Film Festival earlier this year, the Grand Jury Prize at the Independent Film Festival of Boston, audience awards at San Francisco DocFest and the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, and the Reel Women Direct Award at the 2023 Cleveland International Film Festival.
The film was directed by Christine Yoo and produced by Yoo, Carolyn Mao, Sara Sluke, and Hella Winston and executive produced by Dexter Braff, Jennifer M. Kroot, Andrew Bishop, Brian O’Reilly, Frank Connelly, Robert Holgate, and Crispy. Cliff Traiman served as cinematographer and Marcos Moro as editor. Antwan “Banks” Williams composed the music.
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