Conducting Hope, celebrating the East Hill Singers, will be shown for the first time to the public at the Glenwood Arts Theatre at the Metcalf South Mall at 9575 Metcalf Ave. A ticket to the film is $6.50. The choir will perform at the mall immediately following the film in conjunction with the festival.

The film by Westport Productions will also be presented at the prison on Friday night, with producer Margie Friedman in attendance for both showings.

Conducting Hope will begin airing on numerous television stations across the nation beginning Nov. 1.  The film is a finalist for the Jury Award for Best Social Documentary. The award will be announced on Sunday, October 6, 2013.

Click to see a trailer for Conducting Hope. 

The East Hill Singers, founded in 1994, work in partnership with the Kansas City-based non-profit organization Arts in Prison. Friedman said she and her
production partners were drawn to the work of Arts in Prison, particularly the East Hill Singers, as a means of improving outcomes for inmates and the impact such programs might have on recidivism. 

Lansing minimum-custody inmates are joined in the choir by volunteers from the greater Kansas City area. In the choir, inmates practice responsibility, accountability, and leadership, according to Arts in Prison executive director Leigh Lynch.