Kemba Smith Gets a Biopic

A presidentially pardoned woman, Kemba Smith, is making her way from prison to the big screen. The Hollywood Reporter posts that producer Will Packer (Trois, Stomp the Yard) has bought the life rights to her story. The project will be produced through his Rainforest Films, and Packer is currently looking for a writer to pen the project.

Smith's story is pretty shocking and should make for an interesting film. Born in Richmond, Virginia, she was raised by middle-class parents and led a life free from troubles with the law until she made her way to Hampton University. There, she "met a man who ended up being the leader of a $4 million crack cocaine ring and one of the FBI's 15 most wanted." For the love of this man, she dropped out of school and went on the run with him.

Although the government acknowledged that Smith never sold or took drugs, "she was charged with conspiracy to distribute crack and was sentenced to 24 years in prison." In 1999 she was featured in Glamour Magazine, which described how she came to be charged for her boyfriend's crimes. In 2000, after 6 years in prison, President Clinton pardoned Smith on his way out of office. Since then, she has since created the Kemba Smith Foundation, and works to gain rights for ex-felons -- namely, the right to vote, serve jury duty, and run for public office.