American Violet (2009)

American Violet is a heart touching drama directed by Tim Disney and starring Nicole Beharie. The story is based on Regina Kelly, a victim of Texas police drug enforcement tactics.

Story
Based on true events in the midst of the 2000 election, AMERICAN VIOLET tells the astonishing story of Dee Roberts (critically hailed newcomer Nicole Beharie), a 24 year-old African American single mother of four young girls living in a small Texas town who is barely making ends meet on a waitress’ salary and government subsidies.

On an early November morning while Dee works a shift at the local diner, the powerful local district attorney (Academy Award® nominee Michael O’Keefe) leads an extensive drug bust, sweeping her Arlington Springs housing project with military precision. Police drag Dee from work in handcuffs, dumping her in the squalor of the women’s county prison. Indicted based on the uncorroborated word of a single and dubious police informant facing his own drug charges, Dee soon discovers she has been charged as a drug dealer.

Even though Dee has no prior drug record and no drugs were found on her in the raid or any subsequent searches, she is offered a hellish choice: plead guilty and go home as a convicted felon or remain in prison and fight the charges thus, jeopardizing her custody and risking a long prison sentence.

Despite the urgings of her mother (Academy Award® nominee Alfre Woodard), and with her freedom and the custody of her children at stake, she chooses to fight the district attorney and the unyielding criminal justice system he represents. Joined in an unlikely alliance with an ACLU attorney (Tim Blake Nelson) and former local narcotics officer (Will Patton), Dee risks everything in a battle that forever changes her life and the Texas justice system. AMERICAN VIOLET also stars Emmy Award® winner Charles S. Dutton and Xzibit.

Lead Artists
Nicole Beharie as Dee Roberts
Tim Blake Nelson as David Cohen
Will Patton as Sam Conroy
Michael O'Keefe as Calvin Beckett
Xzibit as Darrell Hughes
Malcolm Barrett as Byron Hill
Charles S. Dutton as Reverend Sanders
Alfre Woodard as Alma Roberts
Tim Ware as Mark Shelby
Paul David Story as David Higgins
David Warshofksy as Robert Foster
Lucinda Jenney as Leona Conroy
Karimah Westbrook as Claudia Johnson
Paul Guilfoyle Judge Belmont
Pamala Tyson as Gladys Williams

Technical Details
Director: Tim Disney
Producer: Bill Haney
Writer: Bill Haney
Cinematography: Steve Yedlin
Editing: Nancy Richardson
Distributor: Samuel Goldwyn Films
Release date: April 17, 2009

Official Trailer

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