New York elementary school to screen 'Goblet of Fire' early

  October 21, 2005 at 11:19 AM ET
  Cheeser     HPANA
  ps 8, brooklyn heights school, harry potter screening, harry potter goblet of fire


A public elementary school in New York will present a special advance screening of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire on November 17 in Manhatten to raise money for a film program in the historic Brooklyn Heights school district. Director Gordon Parks, Sr., whose two grandsons attend the school, will be honored with a special reception before the movie:

MAKING MAGIC & THE P.S. 8 FILM PROGRAM

New York, October 19, 2005 -- The worlds of wizards, students, celebrities and educators will converge on Thursday, November 17th at 7:30PM sharp. MAKING MAGIC is a special early premiere of Warner Brother's Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire at the Loews Lincoln Square at 68th Street and Broadway. The proceeds for this special early showing of the film will establish a fund for a unique FILM PROGRAM at Public School 8 in historic Brooklyn Heights.

The event will begin with a special reception where Gordon Parks, Sr. world renowned film director, photographer, novelist and poet will be honored, followed by the film premiere at 8:30PM.

The evening is being organized by the PTA of P.S. 8opens in new window. The Film Program, sponsored by Independence Bank and Steiner Studios, will be specifically designed for fourth and fifth grade students at PS 8. It will be the first of its kind at a New York City public elementary school.

"Through film, photography, music and poetry, Gordon Parks was able to cross boundaries and articulate his views. This film program will give our children another medium to express themselves, showcase their talent and develop their passions," said Olivia Ellis, Instructional Specialist at P.S. 8.

P.S. 8, the Magnet School for Exploration, Research and Design, is an elementary school that has undergone a dramatic transformation from a failing school to a school of choice under the leadership of Principal Seth Phillips and Ms. Ellis who both joined the school in 2002. Since then, the school has received a Magnet Grant and a variety of other grants for well over a million dollars to implement programs that bring experts, artists and educators into the school from the Guggenheim Museum, Marquis Studios, Studio in a School, Rotunda Gallery, Lincoln Center and the Mark Morris Dance Company.

Gordon Parks, Sr. who has two grandchildren that attend P.S. 8, warrants his status as a cultural icon. The poet, novelist, film director and documentary and fashion photographer was born in 1912 in Fort Scott Kansas, the youngest of fifteen children. In 2002, at the age of 90, Gordon Parks received the Jackie Robinson Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award and was inducted into the International Photography Hall of Fame and Museum. These honors were only the two latest tributes bestowed on a man whose achievements in photography, literature, and film have earned him more than twenty doctorates and numerous awards.

In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the fourth film adaptation of J.K. Rowling's popular Harry Potter novel series, Harry must contend with being mysteriously selected to compete in the prestigious TriWizard Tournament, a thrilling international competition that pits him against older and more experienced students from Hogwarts and two rival European wizarding schools.

Tickets for the evening will be priced at $50, $75 and $100. Sponsorship packages will also be available.

For more information contact Tracy Atkinson, Film Event Coordinator, at (718) 596-4779/ [email protected] or go to PS8PTA.ORG.

To buy tickets or to make a tax-deductible donation toward the P.S. 8 Film Program, make checks payable to PTA of P.S. 8 (film premiere) and send to:

P.S. 8
Attn: VP, Olivia Ellis
Film Premiere
37 Hicks Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201

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