New York Business Leaders To Bring Paramount Pictures' "SELMA" to 27,000 7th, 8th And 9th Grade Students In New York City When It Opens January 9th

HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Jan. 7, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Paramount Pictures announced today that it will partner with African-American business leaders in New York City to offer free admission to the Golden Globe-nominated film "SELMA," from director Ava DuVernay, to 7^th, 8^th and 9^th grade students in New York City. 

Inspired by the film's message of resilience and hope and its historical significance, 27 African-American leaders in the New York business community have come together to create a fund that will allow the city's 7^th, 8^th and 9^th grade students to see "SELMA" for free at participating theaters. The students will provide a student ID or report card at any of the New York City locations for free admittance. The effort will begin at 7:00 p.m. on January 8^th and run through January 19^th (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day) or while tickets last.

Those contributing to the fund are:

Amsale Aberra and Neil Brown, Owners of The Amsale Group
Gerald Adolph, Senior Partner, Booz & Company and Gwen Adolph
Ursula Burns, Chairman and CEO, Xerox and Lloyd Bean
Valentino D. Carlotti, Partner, Goldman Sachs Group
Ken Chenault, Chairman and CEO, American Express and Kathryn Chenault
Tony Coles, former CEO, Onyx Pharmaceuticals and Robyn Coles
Edith Cooper, Executive Vice President, Global Head of Human Capital Management, Goldman Sachs Group and Robert Taylor
Roger W. Ferguson, Jr., President and CEO, TIAA-CREF and Annette L. Nazareth
Bruce Gordon, Chairman, ADT, former CEO NAACP and Tawana Tibbs
Charles J. Hamilton, Jr., Senior Counsel, Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf LLP and Pamela G. Carlton, President, Springboard
Vernon Jordan, Senior Managing Director at Lazard and Ann Dibble Jordan
Debra Lee, Chairman and CEO of BET Networks
Bill Lewis, Co-Chairman of Investment Banking, Lazard and Carol Sutton Lewis
Ed Lewis, founder of Essence Magazine and Carolyn Lewis
Tracy Maitland, CEO and Founder, Advent Capital Management and Kimberly Hatchett
Ray McGuire, Head of Global Banking, Citigroup and Crystal McCrary
Scott Mills, Executive Vice President, Human Resources and Administration, Viacom and Iva Mills
Adebayo Ogunlesi, CEO, Global Infrastructure Partners, Lead Director, Goldman Sachs and Dr. Amelia Quist-Ogunlesi
Richard Parsons, Senior Advisor, Providence Equity Partners and Laura Parsons
Charles Phillips, CEO, Infor, Viacom Director and Karen Phillips
Jonelle Procope, President, Apollo Theater and Fred Terrell, Vice Chairman of Investment Banking, Credit Suisse
Tamara Harris Robinson, CEO, Haramat Advisory Services
Marva Smalls, Executive Vice President, Global Inclusion Strategy, Viacom
Frank Thomas, The Study Group
John Utendahl, Vice Chairman, Deustche Bank Americas
Reginald Van Lee, Executive Vice President, Booz Allen
Ted Wells, Partner, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison and Nina Wells

"Martin Luther King, Jr.'s momentous journey in Alabama is an important piece of American history," said Bill Lewis, Co-Chairman of Investment Banking, Lazard. "We are passionate about bringing this story to New York City's students and we encourage business leaders in other cities to organize similar programs so that more students around the country have the chance to see this powerful film about an epic chapter in American history."

"Paramount is honored to partner with New York City's deeply esteemed business men and women to give students in New York the opportunity to experience Ava DuVernay's beautiful and moving masterpiece," said Brad Grey, Chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures.

Commented Sherrilyn Ifill, President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the organization that litigated to obtain the right to march in Selma, "We are thankful for the generous support and leadership of the New York business community and Paramount Pictures in helping deliver 'SELMA' and Dr. King's message to our future leaders."

Darren Walker, President, Ford Foundation stated "This coordinated effort from the New York business community demonstrates a commitment to education and the children of New York City. 'SELMA' is the right catalyst for this prominent group and it's a model worth building on."

A growing list of leading New York City institutions are supporting this project by communicating this plan and hosting screenings and discussions, including Harlem Children's Zone, Abyssinian Baptist Church, Carver Bank, the Apollo Theater, KIPP Schools, Harlem School of the Arts and The New York Public Library.

"We thank the great organizations that quickly agreed to join this effort," said Charles Phillips, CEO, Infor and Viacom Director. "'SELMA' is timely, thought-provoking art about a transformative period in our country and a story that speaks to generations."

The participating New York City theaters are:

To reserve 25 or more student tickets during this program, please visit www.SelmaMovie.com/nyc while tickets last.

Directed by DuVernay and starring David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King Jr., "SELMA" has been nominated for four Golden Globes: Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Director and Best Song ("Glory" by Common and John Legend). 

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."

Paramount Pictures, Pathe, 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.

Currently open in select cities, "SELMA" opens in theaters nationwide on January 9^th, 2015. To learn more about the film, go to www.selmamovie.com

About Paramount Pictures Corporation

Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. Paramount controls a collection of some of the most powerful brands in filmed entertainment, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Television, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Home Media Distribution, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio Group.

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SOURCE Paramount Pictures