In honor of the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech and the March on Washington, Kino Lorber is releasing a newly restored and re-mastered edition of the landmark, Oscar-nominated documentary King: A Filmed Record… Montgomery To Memphis, to screen in theaters nationwide for a special one-night, multi-city event, TONIGHT, August 28. 

In New York, the film was also be presented at BAM’s Rose Cinemas on August 12 and 13, and a special screening will be presented at Film Forum tonight, August 28, the anniversary of Dr. King’s speech. 

To find out if your city is one of those where the film will be screened tonight, click HERE.

The rest of the story…

KING: A FILMED RECORD chronicles the life and work of Dr. King, from the start of his non-violent campaign for equal rights to his assassination in Memphis in 1968. Candid footage of Dr. King and newsreel coverage of the protests and counter-protests — of stunning visual quality, from first-generation film sources — are framed by celebrity narrators Harry Belafonte, Ruby Dee, Ben Gazzara, Charlton Heston, James Earl Jones, Burt Lancaster, Paul Newman, Anthony Quinn, Clarence Williams III and Joanne Woodward.  Produced by Ely Landau and associate producer Richard Kaplan, KING: A FILMED RECORD offers a powerful and comprehensive record of Dr. King’s legacy and the American Civil Rights movement, and is an indelible testimony to the power of courage and non-violence.

KING: A FILMED RECORD was screened as a one-time-only event on March 24, 1970 and went on to receive an Academy Award^® nomination for Documentary Feature.  In 1999, the film was deemed “culturally significant” by the United States Library of Congress and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the National Film Preservation Foundation.

With the cooperation of The Library of Congress, The Museum of Modern Art, the estate of Producer Ely Landau and Associate Producer Richard Kaplan, the newly restored edition of KING: A FILMED RECORD will be screened in association with Gathr Films and the Regal theater chain in between 25 to 1000 cinemas nationwide on August 28, the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, using Gathr’s Theatrical On Demand^® technology.

35mm prints and digital DCPs for these screenings were derived from the Library of Congress’ preservation negative. The restoration was performed by the Library of Congress in association with Richard Kaplan, The Museum of Modern Art, and the Ely Landau estate.

Richard Lorber, President and CEO of Kino Lorber, says, “It’s a great joy and privilege for our company to be associated with such a brilliant film that so honors the legacy of Dr. King. And, the experience of working with an institution of the stature of The Library of Congress, as well as our visionary “theater on demand” collaborators at Gathr films, all reinforce our expectation of a great success in reaching new audiences with this epochal story of a man who had a dream that shaped the future.”

Richard Kaplan, the film’s associate producer, adds, “The wide release of KING: A FILMED RECORD is the fulfillment of my dream to make the film available to a new generation as well as to all those who have heard about the film but have never been able to see it until now.”

Scott Glosserman, CEO of Gathr, states, “To learn that a film existed of this scope and importance that almost no one had ever seen was a jaw-dropping moment. We couldn’t be more excited to assist in the sharing of this magnificent film.”