NYC students can see ‘Selma’ for free

Thanks to new partnership between a group of prominent African-American community leaders and Paramount Pictures, thousands of New York City students now have the chance to see the new film “Selma” free of charge.

Director Ava DuVernay’s critically acclaimed film depicts a pivotal moment in the Civil Rights Movement and opened nationwide on Friday. The film studio announced on Thursday that it was partnering with the group (which includes Xerox CEO Ursula Burns and lawyer Vernon Jordan) to provide tickets to thousands of New York City seventh, eighth and ninth graders.

“Martin Luther King Jr.’s momentous journey in Alabama is an important piece of American history,” said Bill Lewis, the co-chairman of investment banking at Lazard — and one of the contributors to the fund — in a statement. “We are passionate about bringing this story to New York City’s students.” The free screenings began last week and will run through Monday, Jan. 19, which, fittingly, is Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Starring David Oyelowo as Martin Luther King Jr., the film is set over the course of three months in 1965 as King and other civil rights activists worked to secure equal voting rights for all American citizens, often facing violent opposition in the process. The cast includes Oprah Winfrey, Tom Wilkinson and Carmen Ejogo. Paramount CEO Brad Grey said in a statement that the studio was “honored” to give students the chance to see the movie.

How to see Selma: Students interested in seeing the film should bring a student ID or report card to one of the more than 20 participating theaters in the five boroughs. The full list of theaters is below:

UA Kaufman Astoria Cinemas 14
Astoria
AMC Bay Plaza Cinema 13
Bronx
Concourse Plaza Multiplex 10
Bronx
Alpine Cinemas 8
Brooklyn
Bam Harvey Theater
Brooklyn
Cobble Hill Cinemas 5
Brooklyn
Linden Boulevard Multiplex Cinemas 14
Brooklyn
The Pavilion Theater
Brooklyn
UA Court Street 12
Brooklyn
UA Sheepshead Bay Stadium 14
Brooklyn
Williamsburg Cinemas 7
Brooklyn
Movieworld Cinemas 7
Douglaston
AMC Fresh Meadows 7
Fresh Meadows
UA Midway Stadium 9
Forest Hills
Regal Atlas Park Stadium 8
Glendale
Jamaica Multiplex Cinemas 15
Jamaica
AMC Loews 34th Street 14
New York
AMC Loews Kips Bay 15
New York
AMC Loews Lincoln Square 13
New York
AMC Empire 25
New York
AMC Magic Johnson Harlem 9
New York
Bow Tie Chelsea Cinemas 9
New York
City Cinemas East 86th Street Cinema
New York
Regal Battery Park Stadium 11
New York
Regal Union Square Stadium 14
New York
UA Staten Island Stadium 16
Staten Island
College Point Multiplex Cinemas 12
Whitestone