John Leguizamo Live at Rikers (2023)

The documentary John Leguizamo Live at Rikers premieres on Friday, September 15, 2023 on the Black Experience on Xfinity Channel, available on Xfinity X1, Flex, and on-the-go with the Xfinity Stream and Xumo apps, after a one-week Academy Award-qualifying theatrical run. The documentary film was created by award-winning actor, writer, producer, filmmaker and activist John Leguizamo, and director Elena Engel of Azimuth Films.

In the film, John Leguizamo performs his hit one-man Broadway show Ghetto Klown at Rikers Island Correctional Facility for an audience of more than 400 inmates. Following the performance, Leguizamo leads group discussions with young men who are enrolled in Getting Out and Staying Out (GOSO), an anti-recidivism program that provides 800 young men with services and resources to further their education, secure meaningful employment, and achieve emotional well-being. At the time the documentary is released, participants in the GOSO program had sustained recidivism rates at or below 15%, compared to average annual rates of 64% among young men of a similar age group nationwide.

John Leguizamo Live at Rikers interweaves performance excerpts with commentary from Rikers Island inmates, as they identify with the narrative truths of Leguizamo’s storytelling. Prison life, family, education, profiling, mentorship and future dreams bring attention to the serious challenges and the often- ignored humanity of those incarcerated, while raising awareness about programs that exist to reduce the revolving door of recidivism.