Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
1 of 4
Contact: POV Communications: 212-‐989-‐7425. Cathy Fisher, [email protected], Amanda Nguyen, [email protected] POV online pressroom: www.pbs.org/pov/pressroom
Inner-‐City Junior High School Defies the Odds to Become National Chess Powerhouse in POV’s ‘Brooklyn Castle,’ Monday, Oct. 7, 2013
On PBS INDIES SHOWCASE
Portrait of Five Students Reveals the Personal Struggles and Remarkable Program Behind Championships, Trophies and a School’s Special Pride
“If you want to see what may well be the most optimistic, inspiring and downright thrilling movie released
all year—then absolutely do not miss . . . Brooklyn Castle.”—Andrew O’Hehir, Salon
MEDIA ALERT – FACT SHEET National Dates: Katie Dellamaggiore’s Brooklyn Castle has its national broadcast premiere on Monday,
Oct. 7, 2013 at 10 p.m. (check local listings) on the award-‐winning PBS series POV (Point of View). The film is part of the new PBS INDIES SHOWCASE, a four-‐week series of independent documentaries airing on Monday nights from Sept. 30-‐Oct. 21.
The Film: This public-‐school powerhouse in junior high chess competitions has won more than 30
national championships, the most of any school in the country. Its 85-‐member squad boasts so many strong players that the late Albert Einstein, a dedicated chess maven, would rank fourth if he were on the team. Most astoundingly, I.S. 318 is a Brooklyn school that serves mostly minority students from families living below the poverty line. Brooklyn Castle is the exhilarating story of five of the school’s aspiring young players and how chess became the school’s unlikely inspiration for academic success.
Brooklyn Castle is a production of Rescued Media in association with Indelible Marks and Chicken and Egg Pictures. The film is part of American Graduate: Let’s Make It Happen, a national public media initiative made possible by CPB to identify and implement solutions to the dropout crisis and help parents and teachers keep students on the path to a successful future.
Embed a trailer, download press materials and learn more at www.pbs.org/pressroom.
Online: POV's website for Brooklyn Castle – http://www.pbs.org/pov/brooklyncastle/ – offers a
broad range of exclusive online content to enhance the PBS broadcast. Watch the full film online for free for a limited time following the broadcast (Oct. 8 – Nov. 6, 2013), view a video interview with the director, download a discussion guide and other viewing resources, prove your chess skills online and find out what's happened in the players’ lives since the cameras stopped rolling.
The players: Thirteen-‐year-‐old Rochelle Ballantyne, who broke the gender line of what had been an all-‐
boys chess club, has the potential to become the first African-‐American female master in the history of chess. She is the first-‐ranked player in the school.
2 of 4
Pobo Efekoro, 12, is the big, boisterous, warm-‐hearted leader of the team. When the school’s budget for afterschool programs is cut, he runs for school president with the goal of mobilizing a student protest to get the cuts restored.
Patrick Johnston, 11, is a sensitive beginner who wants to raise his ranking to middle level. He has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and has taken to chess to develop concentration and patience.
Twelve-‐year-‐old Alexis Paredes’ approach to chess is like his play—meditative and thoughtful. The second-‐ranked player at I.S. 318, he sees chess as a way to an education and a lucrative career that will allow him to support his Paraguayan immigrant family.
Justus Williams, 11 years old, is a prodigy, already one of America’s highest-‐ranked young chess players. Yet he is plagued by a tendency to freeze, stymied by high expectations.
Filmmaker’s Statement: “I had always been interested in making a film about Brooklyn, but I wanted to tell a story
that people didn’t expect,” says director Katie Dellamaggiore. “We’re hoping, too, that the story in this film will make some lawmakers think twice before cutting funds for extracurricular activities from education budgets.”
Filmmaker Bio: Katie Dellamaggiore (Director/Producer)
Katie Dellamaggiore is a documentary producer and director whose work has appeared on MTV, A&E, HBO/Cinemax and VH1. She has held various production and outreach roles on award-‐winning documentaries, including 39 Pounds of Love, To Die in Jerusalem, 51 Birch Street and American Teen. Dellamaggiore co-‐produced After the Storm, a nonprofit theater and film project aimed at inspiring young people in post-‐Katrina New Orleans, and for A&E Classroom directed, produced and shot UR Life Online, which explored sexual solicitation and cyber bullying and received an Emmy nomination for single-‐camera editing. In 2010, she and her husband, Nelson Dellamaggiore, co-‐founded television and film production company Rescued Media. Brooklyn Castle is Katie Dellamaggiore’s feature directorial debut.
Related Stories: “Checkmate? Budget Cuts Could Put Prized Brooklyn Chess Team in Danger,” by Rebecca
Hiscott, The New York Observer, June 7, 2013. http://bit.ly/14YMXix
“Mini masters: the hard-‐up Brooklyn school producing chess champions,” by Celia Warden, The Telegraph, March 22, 2013. http://bit.ly/1956Tme ‘Brooklyn Castle: Where are Chess Students Now?” by Dr. Alexey W. Root, Monroi.com, Dec. 6, 2012. http://bit.ly/14V79HB “Documentary showcases program that transforms underprivileged kids into chess champs,” Starting Point, CNN, Oct. 24, 2012. http://bit.ly/17YG30V “The Creativity of Chess: A Conversation with Elizabeth Spiegel,” by Noah Hutton, The Creativity Post, Oct. 17, 2012. http://bit.ly/1gljq7T
“Teen Chess Champion Rochelle Ballantyne on Starring in ‘Brooklyn Castle,’” by Sierra Tishgart, Teen Vogue, October 2012. http://teenv.ge/16w4YZk
“I.S. 318’s Crowning Achievement,” by Sumathi Reddy, The Wall Street Journal, April 19, 2012. http://on.wsj.com/14SMSCs
3 of 4
“At a Brooklyn School, the Cool Crowd Pushes the King Around,” by Anne Barnard and Dylan Loeb McClain, The New York Times, April 17, 2012. http://nyti.ms/1dgeKAA “Fred Rubino, a Popular Brooklyn Superintendent, Dies,” by Theodoric Mayer, WNYC, April 2, 2012. http://wny.cc/15AGNcd
Outreach: POV works with educators, public television stations and national and community groups to foster dialogue around the issues presented in our films. For a list of upcoming screening events, go to www.pbs.org/pov/outreach. POV and nationally recognized media educator Dr. Faith Rogow develop discussion guides with background information to help event organizers facilitate conversations. The Brooklyn Castle discussion guide includes background information on afterschool programming, Intermediate School 318 (I.S. 318) and fun facts about chess, as well as prompts for dialogue and a list of educational resources. Rogow has also developed a lesson plan that asks students to examine the idea of culture in school and involves them in shaping their own school culture. Event organizers may email POV at [email protected] to request a free loaned DVD.
Credits: Director: Katie Dellamaggiore
Producers: Katie Dellamaggiore, Nelson Dellamaggiore, Brian Schulz
Executive Producers: Geoff Gibson, Robert McLellan, Judith Helfand, Wendy Ettinger, Julie Parker Benello
Cinematographer: Brian Schulz Editor: Nelson Dellamaggiore Original Music: B. Satz for Le CASTLE Film Works
Running Time: 86:46 POV Series Credits: Executive Producer: Simon Kilmurry Co-‐Executive Producer: Cynthia López VP, Programming and Production: Chris White Series Producer: Andrew Catauro
Festivals: Audience Award, SXSW Film Festival, 2012
Audience Award, Newport Beach Film Festival, 2012 Top Ten Audience Favorite, Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, 2012 Best New Director, Brooklyn International Film Festival, 2012 Nominee, Outstanding Documentary, 44th NAACP Image Awards, 2012 Visit http://www.brooklyncastle.com/ for a complete list of screenings and events.
Pressroom: Visit POV’s pressroom, www.pbs.org/pov/pressroom, for press releases, downloadable art,
filmmaker biographies, transcripts and special features.
PBS INDIES SHOWCASE: As part of its commitment to provide viewers with year-‐round access to the creative work of
independent filmmakers, the PBS INDIES SHOWCASE is scheduled during the weeks between the seasons of the award-‐winning series POV and INDEPENDENT LENS and will feature films from both. While PBS features the work of independent filmmakers throughout the year, the SHOWCASE is designed to spotlight their work and increase audience visibility for this important genre.
American Graduate: American Graduate: Let’s Make it Happen helps local communities identify and implement solutions
to the high school dropout crisis. American Graduate demonstrates public media’s commitment to
4 of 4
education and its deep roots in every community it serves. Beyond providing programming that educates, informs and inspires, public radio and television stations—locally owned and operated—are an important resource in helping to address critical issues such as the dropout rate. More than 75 public radio and television stations have launched on-‐the-‐ground efforts working with community and at-‐risk youth to keep students on-‐track to high school graduation. More than 800 partnerships have been formed locally through American Graduate, and CPB is working with Alma and Colin Powell’s America's Promise Alliance and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
POV: Produced by American Documentary, Inc. and now in its 26th season on PBS, the award-‐winning POV
is the longest-‐running showcase on American television to feature the work of today’s best independent documentary filmmakers. POV has brought more than 365 acclaimed documentaries to millions nationwide. POV films have won every major film and broadcasting award, including 32 Emmys, 15 George Foster Peabody Awards, 10 Alfred I. duPont-‐Columbia University Awards, three Academy Awards® and the Prix Italia. In 2012, POV achieved a new milestone, winning five News & Documentary Emmy® Awards. Since 1988, POV has pioneered the art of presentation and outreach using independent nonfiction media to build new communities in conversation about today’s most pressing social issues. Visit www.pbs.org/pov.
Major funding for POV is provided by PBS, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, the desJardins/Blachman Fund and public television viewers. Funding for POV's Diverse Voices Project is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Special support provided by The Fledgling Fund and the Lucius and Eva Eastman Fund. POV is presented by a consortium of public television stations, including KQED San Francisco, WGBH Boston and THIRTEEN in association with WNET.ORG.
Media Sponsor:
