HBO And Southern Poverty Law Center To Co-Host Montgomery, Alabama Premiere Of "Valentine Road" On Tuesday, September 17

HBO And Southern Poverty Law Center To Co-Host Montgomery, Alabama Premiere Of "Valentine Road" On Tuesday, September 17

Filmmakers Marta Cunningham, Sasha Alpert and Jonathan Murray Scheduled to Attend

Panel discussion and audience Q&A to follow film

WHAT: The invitation-only, Montgomery, AL premiere of the HBO Documentary Film VALENTINE ROAD presented by HBO and Southern Poverty Law Center

February 12, 2008 started like any other day at E.O. Green Junior High School in the California beach town of Oxnard, northwest of Los Angeles. Eighth-grade students filed into a computer lab to do an assignment on the topic of tolerance. But before the class was over, 15-year-old Lawrence "Larry" King lay fighting for his life, shot twice in the back of the head at point blank range by classmate Brandon McInerney. Two days later, on Valentine's Day, Larry died--the victim of a crime that grabbed national headlines and dramatically changed the lives of students, teachers and a community.

VALENTINE ROAD explores the murder of a teenager who had begun exploring his gender identity, revealing the circumstances that led to the shocking crime, as well as its complicated aftermath. Directed and produced by first-time filmmaker Marta Cunningham and shepherded by award-winning producers Sasha Alpert (HBO's "Autism: The Musical") and Eddie Schmidt (HBO's "Twist of Faith"), the film raises issues about the safety of LGBT teens, juvenile justice and the ability of the country's educational and social service systems to prevent such tragedies.

WHO: The following are available for interviews:


-- Marta Cunningham, Director and Producer of VALENTINE ROAD
-- Sasha Alpert, Producer of VALENTINE ROAD
-- Jonathan Murray, Executive Producer of VALENTINE ROAD
-- Richard Cohen, President, Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC)
-- Lecia Brooks, Director of Outreach, SPLC
-- Maureen Costello, Teaching Tolerance Director, SPLC
Panel Discussants

Marta Cunningham

Lecia Brooks

Alesdair "Al" Ittelson, Skadden Fellow and Staff Attorney, SPLC
Rhonda Thomason, Southern Region Educational Consultant, Welcoming Schools Program, Human Rights Campaign

WHERE: Reception: Cloverdale Playhouse

960 Cloverdale Rd @ E. Fairview Ave, Montgomery, AL 36106

Screening: Capri Theatre

1045 E. Fairview Ave, Montgomery, AL 36106

WHEN:Tuesday, September 17, 2013:
6:00 pm Reception at Cloverdale Playhouse

6:45 pm Doors open at Capri Theatre

7:00 pm Screening

9:00 pm Panel discussion and Q&A

DETAILS: VALENTINE ROAD debuts Monday, October 7 (8:00-9:30 p.m. CT/9:00-10:30 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO, during National Bullying Prevention Month. For more on the film, visit Facebook.com/HBODocs and twitter.com @HBODocs#ValentineRoad.

ADDITIONALINFORMATION In 2008, the year that Larry King died, 1,706 LGBT hate crimes were reported to the FBI (source: FBI website http://www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press-releases/fbi-releases-2008-hate-crime-statistics). In 2011, 6% of transgender students K-12 were harassed and bullied at school, 35% were physically assaulted and 31 reported harassment by teachers or staff. For multiracial transgender children the figures are 10% higher. (source: Grant, Jaime M., Lisa A. Mottet, Justin Tanis, Jack Harrison, Jody L. Herman and Mara Keisling.) "Injustice at Every Turn: A Report of the National Transgender Discrimination Survey," Washington: National Center for Transgender Equality and National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, 2011.

Advance telephone and onsite interviews available

Media requests should be directed to: Valerie Harris, HBO,

404-966-2445 or valerie@kinseygrouppr.com

*Clip reels available for broadcast media

/PRNewswire -- Sept. 17, 2013/



SOURCE HBO

HBO


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