The prison that Tim Robbins’ Andy Dufresne famously dug and crawled his way out of in The Shawshank Redemption may have shut its doors for good in 1990 due to overcrowding, but this weekend it is set to welcome guests as part of the film’s 20th anniversary celebrations.
The Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield will host a 1950s-themed cocktail party in its central guard room Saturday, with a live jazz band and canapés. Earlier in the day, visitors will be given the chance to tour the facility and several film locations in and around Mansfield, Ashland and Upper Sandusky, such as the oak tree where Morgan Freeman’s Red unearthed the tin box and the bank where the escaped Dufresne withdraws the laundered money. Several castmembers, including Bob Gunton, Frank Medrano, Scott Mann, Renee Blaine and Jim Kisicki will be making appearances, and there will be screenings of the film on both Saturday and Sunday.
Released in September 1994, The Shawshank Redemption went on to receive seven Academy Award and two Golden Globe nominations. Although it famously didn’t win a single one, it is frequently listed among the greatest movies of all time, and since 2008 has topped IMDb’s Top 250 films as voted on by users.
The Shawshank Redemption‘s director, Frank Darabont, was recently named president of the Zurich Film Festival’s international jury.
