CineGrand Screens “12 Years a Slave”

Ellsworth, Maine - The Grand announces “12 Years a Slave” as the next title in its CineGrand program, a series of the best of recent independent films in a new weekly format. The movie will show on Tuesday, February 25 at 7:30 pm.  The Oscar- nominated drama is directed by British filmmaker Steve McQueen (“Hunger”, “Shame”) and stars  Chiwetel Ejiofor (“Kinky Boots”, “Inside Man”) with Michael Fassbender  (“X-Men: First Class”, “Inglorious Basterds”), Brad Pitt (“World War Z”, “Mr. and Mrs. Smith”), Benedict Cumberbatch (“Sherlock”, “Star Trek Into Darkness”), Sarah Paulson (“American Horror Story”, “Down With Love”), and Paul Giamatti (“Sideways”, “John Adams”). Ticket prices are general admission seating and are $7 for adults, $6 for seniors and students, and $5 for Grand members. The CineGrand series is sponsored by Sullivan Harbor Farm Smokehouse.

Based on an incredible true story of one man's fight for survival and freedom, the film takes place in the pre-Civil War United States and tells the story of Solomon Northup (Ejiofor), a free black man from upstate New York, who is abducted and sold into slavery. Facing cruelty (personified by a malevolent slave owner, portrayed by Fassbender), as well as unexpected kindnesses, Solomon struggles not only to stay alive, but to retain his dignity. In the twelfth year of his unforgettable odyssey, Solomon’s chance meeting with a Canadian abolitionist (Pitt) will forever alter his life. Manohla Dargis of The New York Times said that “the genius of '12 Years a Slave' is its insistence on banal evil, and on terror, that seeped into souls, bound bodies and reaped an enduring, terrible price.”

For more information on these or other Grand events- including on March 11th at 7:30 pm the next CineGrand selection of “Adult World,” the satirical coming-of-age comedy starring Emma Roberts, John Cusack, Evan Peters and Cloris Leachman- please call the box office at 207-667-9500 or visit The Grand website at www.grandonline.org or follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Grand-Auditorium/112755987339