World Premiere Of DISTRICT OF SECOND CHANCES To Screen At Dances With Films In Union Square

Director Wynette Yao's District of Second Chances will have its World Premiere at Dances With Films on December 3, 2023.

The film follows a quest for redemption in Washington, D.C. Thanks to “second chance” legislation, three men who were sentenced in their youth to life in prison have the chance to plead for release. Through heartfelt, gritty stories, we follow their journeys: Anthony “Pete” Petty, who has just won his freedom and must rebuild his life after three decades in prison; Gene Downing, who awaits his second chance hearing after two decades behind bars and hopes to reunite with a daughter born after his incarceration; and Colie Levar Long, who is mentoring youth incarcerated with him at D.C. Jail. He longs to finish college as a free man after a 26-year interruption. But, as the film shows, a second chance is never guaranteed. 

Wynette Yao is an award-winning filmmaker who has produced, directed and written films on subjects as wide-ranging as Egypt, tornadoes, bees and bog mummies. She relishes storytelling that brings alive the human experience in history, science, social justice and modern life.

After a career making films for the National Geographic Channel, Discovery and the Smithsonian Channel, Yao joined FAMM Foundation, a non-profit that advocates for criminal justice reform, as staff filmmaker. She has created videos, spots and long-form documentaries highlighting the need for a more fair and effective justice system, including the award-winning “Half of Us,” “The Vanishing Trial” (Bronx Social Justice Matters Festival and 1st Place, Documentary Shorts.Yao is currently writing the screenplay for a narrative short about her grandmother called “The Secret Life of Berta Hosang.”

The film explores the dilemma of an intellectual young Chinese Canadian woman in the 1920-30s who struggles with her ambitions to help save China--the war-ravaged homeland she's never seen--while being hemmed in by marriage and motherhood.Yao's previous work includes “Oceans at the Tipping Point” (Winner of the Innovation Award at the Blue Ocean Film Festival) for Conservation International, “Who Betrayed Anne Frank?” (Winner of the Gold Remi Award, Worldfest Houston Film Festival) for the Discovery Channel, “The Mystery of the Mummy Murders” (Winner of a Telly Award) for the National Geographic Channel, and “All Quiet on the Western Front” for the Discovery Channel, nominated for a National Emmy.

The cinematographer and editor for District of Second Chances is Travis Edwards.With work ranging from commercial to documentary to narrative, Travis's focus has always been on the impact of storytelling through video. His award-winning work has taken him across the country and has involved everything from filming undercover in puppy mills to filming politicians in D.C. He strives to present ideas and stories through innovative and engaging content that can help improve people's lives.