GOOGLE TO SPONSOR SCREENING OF ACADEMY AWARD®-NOMINATED “SELMA” FOR NEW YORK’S PATHWAYS IN TECHNOLOGY EARLY COLLEGE HIGH
SCHOOL
FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND EFFORT WILL ALLOW NEARLY 500 P-TECH STUDENTS TO SEE THE FILM
FOR FREE
SELMA FOR STUDENTS TICKETS IN BOSTON, DETROIT, NEW YORK AND NORTHERN
NEW JERSEY ARE SOLD OUT
HOLLYWOOD,
CA (January 23, 2015) – Paramount Pictures today announced that Google
will sponsor a screening of the Academy Award®-nominated and Golden
Globe-winning film “SELMA”
for students, teachers and administrators at Pathways in Technology
Early College High School (P-TECH) at BAM Rose Cinemas on Friday,
January 23rd.
The
sponsorship marks the first time since the inception of the nationwide
Selma for Students program that a company has provided the funds for an
entire school to see the film.
Nearly 500 students and staff at the STEM high school in Brooklyn will
experience the film due to the contributions of Google and the support
of software company Infor and Paramount Pictures.
“As the
Founding Principal of P-TECH and as a proud Morehouse College graduate, I
am thrilled that our most famous alum, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is
at the center of the film
‘Selma,’ and I commend P-TECH teacher Zakiyyah Ali for her efforts in
helping to make the ‘Selma’ experience a reality,” said Rashid Ferrod
Davis, Founding Principal (P-TECH). “We are grateful for the generosity
of Google, Paramount Pictures and the others
who are making it possible for our entire student population, faculty
and staff to see ‘Selma.’ Our Brooklyn students are pioneering a
movement and the collective experience of seeing the film will be
powerful and empowering for all of us.”
“It is
imperative for me to keep alive the stories about how African-Americans
have dealt with struggle and resistance to injustice. It is equally
important for my students to
see that activism is selfless work. As our students live in an age of
activism, ‘SELMA’ and the digital technology used to make the film
provide them with a visual blueprint on how generational cooperation
works for the good of all people. At one point in
time, our pioneers could only record their histories through griots
with limited reach. Today, technology allows these heroic stories to be
told in ways in which the reach is nearly endless,” said P-TECH history
teacher Zakiyyah Ali, whose desire to bring
“SELMA” to her students led to the partnership with Google.
Pathways in
Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) is a new type of school
(grades 9 through 14) that brings together the best elements of high
school, college (New York
City College of Technology) and the professional world (IBM). P-TECH
enables students to begin their college and professional lives more
quickly and with more support than the typical school-to-work pathway.
Graduates of P-TECH have the opportunity to earn
an associate in applied science degree and leave the school with the
skills and knowledge they need in order to continue their studies or
step seamlessly into competitive jobs in the Information Technology (IT)
industry.
President
Obama, Secretary Duncan and other dignitaries visited P-TECH in Fall
2013 in praise of its curriculum and model, which has been replicated.
P-TECH offers college-level
courses in math and science and offers students a high school diploma
and an Associate's Degree in computer systems or electromechanical
engineering.
The Selma for Students program has grown steadily since its launch in New York City on January 8th.
To date, African-American business leaders in 32 locations across
the U.S. have raised funds for free admission for middle and high
school students to see “SELMA.” More than 300,000 students nationwide
will experience the critically acclaimed film for free.
Due to the program’s popularity and the ongoing efforts of the organizers, student tickets in Boston,
Detroit, New York and Northern New Jersey are sold out.
Philadelphia expanded its program and added 3,000 more tickets to meet
the overwhelming demand, while the business leaders in Northern New
Jersey raised additional funds to send 1,000 students in
Trenton to see the film.
Viacom’s
Paramount Pictures, which is distributing “SELMA,” is coordinating the
programs with participating theaters in the U.S. For a list of
participating theaters in select
cities offering free admission to students during this program and for
information on group sales, visit
www.SelmaMovie.com/studenttickets
Middle and
high school students who present a current student ID or report card at
the box office of any participating theater will receive free admission
while tickets last.
To help get the word out about the program, tweet using the hashtag #SelmaForStudents.
Directed by
DuVernay and starring David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King Jr., “SELMA”
is nominated for Academy Awards® for Best Picture and Best Original Song
for “Glory” by Common
& John Legend. The film earned a Golden Globe Award for Best Song
for “Glory” and was nominated for Best Picture, Best Actor and Best
Director.
Paramount
Pictures, Pathé, and Harpo Films present “SELMA.” Produced by Christian
Colson, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Oprah Winfrey, the film is
executive produced by Brad Pitt,
Cameron McCracken, Diarmuid McKeown, Nik Bower, Ava DuVernay, Paul
Garnes and Nan Morales. The film is written by Paul Webb. “SELMA” is
directed by Ava DuVernay.
“SELMA”
is the story of a movement. The film chronicles the tumultuous
three-month period in 1965, when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led a
dangerous campaign to secure equal voting
rights in the face of violent opposition. The epic march from Selma to
Montgomery culminated in President Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) signing the
Voting Rights Act of 1965, one of the most significant victories for the
civil rights movement. Director Ava DuVernay’s
“SELMA” tells the story of how the revered leader and visionary Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr. (David Oyelowo) and his brothers and sisters in
the movement prompted change that forever altered history. The film also
stars Tom Wilkinson, Cuba Gooding Jr., Alessandro
Nivola, Giovanni Ribisi, Common, Carmen Ejogo, Lorraine Toussaint, with
Tim Roth and Oprah Winfrey as “Annie Lee Cooper.”
“SELMA” is playing in theaters nationwide. To learn more about the film, go to
http://www.selmamovie.com
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