The San Diego Foundation will host an exclusive pre-release screening of Sundance Best of NEXT Audience Award winning film “Imperial Dreams” with writer and director Malik Vitthal on Wednesday, March 16 at 4:30 p.m. at Farmer & The Seahorse, Illumina Theater in La Jolla. The event, from 2014, is part of The San Diego Foundation Center for Civic Engagement Future40 event series, which engages leading thinkers to raise provocative questions, highlight new possibilities and challenge assumptions about the future of San Diego. Determined to build a new life for himself and his son, a 21-year-old man is released from prison to find the challenges nearly insurmountable. Based on a true story and starring “Star Wars’” John Boyega, Imperial Dreams reveals the realities the formerly incarcerated face, including the broken systems that keep them from true freedom. Applauded by both audiences and critics, the film captures real-life struggles through heartfelt storytelling. “Vitthal’s film,” Hollywood Reporter critic Justin Lowe said, “has the distinct fortuity to realign opinions on how artistic talent can best be nurtured and celebrated in a climate of often diminished opportunities.” Vitthal will be present for a Q&A immediately following the screening. Vitthal was born and raised in Los Angeles and co-wrote “Imperial Dreams” as his feature directorial debut. The film was developed at the Jerusalem International Film Lab and Sundance Institute Screenwriters Lab, where it received the Time Warner Storytelling Grant and the Lynn Auerbach Screenwriting Fellowship. According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, in 2014 63 percent of state prisoners paroled in San Diego County recidivated within three years. High reincarceration rates impact ex-offenders and drain taxpayer resources. The theater is located at 10996 Torreyana Road. The screening is free and open to those 18 years and older.