N.B.: Bill Goodykoontz review of the film here.

Arizona isn’t the first jurisdiction to try telling its local police force to go after potential illegal immigrants. A county in Virginia, just outside of Washington D.C., tried it first.

9500 Liberty is a documentary about the unexpected things that happened next. It seems to have gotten some good notices; according to a release I’m inserting below, a buyer for Harkins is bringing it to town on an expedited basis after Brewer signed the now-notorious SB 1070.

The film opens at the Valley Art on Friday.

The film’s official site is here.

Press release below. Here’s a trailer:

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Immigration Documentary Could Shake Up Arizona Tempe, Phoenix to host 9500 Liberty, filmmakers for “emergency” premiere

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(TEMPE, AZ) April 26, 2010 – This Friday, Harkins Theaters will host the theatrical premiere of 9500 LIBERTY, an award-winning film about a Virginia county’s short-lived police mandate requiring officers to question people they had cause to suspect were undocumented immigrants.

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed a similar measure into law on April 23, and Harkins made a deal to exhibit 9500 Liberty 24 hours later. The Prince William County mandate was repealed after two months due to negative economic, legal, and public safety impacts. Critics of HB 1070 predict the same fate in Arizona, citing 9500 Liberty as documentary evidence.

9500 LIBERTY STARTS FRIDAY April 30, 2010 Harkins Valley Art Theater 509 S Mill Ave • Tempe, AZ 85281 Special Premiere Event Friday at 7:00 PM Daily 2:00, 4:30, 7:00, 9:30

The film’s directors Annabel Park and Eric Byler are traveling to Arizona in coming days. Byler arrives tomorrow evening while Park will arrive next week. Recently Park and Byler have been more focused on Coffee Party USA, a grass-roots movement that began on Facebook and became a national phenomenon in a matter of weeks. Both said they will speak as independent filmmakers, not as Coffee Party founders in the context of the Arizona law.

“I’ve been to several film premieres in my life, but this will be the first emergency premiere,” Byler said.

Earlier this month, Byler accepted the Phoenix Film Festival’s Breakthrough Filmmaker Award on behalf of Park and producers Chris Rigopulos, Alex Rigopulos, and Jeff Man. The next day, Harkins Theaters Film Buyer Barry Bruno approached Byler to discuss a theatrical engagement later this year. But as the controversy in Arizona erupted, the two agreed to an unusually accelerated schedule.

“One week’s lead time is unheard of, but the situation warranted it,” Bruno said.

Harkins Theaters has venues throughout Arizona, as well as in Denver, Texas, and California. Bruno said that additional theaters may soon be added

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