NEW YORK (WABC) -- The new movie "Selma," which tells the story of the epic march for civil rights led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., doesn't go into wide release until Friday, but beginning Thursday night, as many as 27,000 young people in New York City will get a chance to see it for free.
Entertainment reporter Sandy Kenyon doesn't have a vote when it comes to Oscar winners, but he is calling it the best film of the year.
And now, seventh, eighth and ninth graders throughout the five boroughs will be able to see it at participating theaters.
"Selma" was filmed in the actual locations in Alabama where the historic events took place in 1965. The famous march for voting rights was filmed by Ava Duvernay, a director driven to tell the story right.
"When you can immerse yourself and put the actors in the real places, it allows their imaginations to spark to life in ways that you don't have to construct," she said. "You don't have to contrive. It's just all there."
Reverend King and his wife are played by performers from Britain, which works out better than you might think it would.
"Because I came at him not with the baggage of who he represents to the nation," actor David Oyelowo said.
The film marks the second time Carmen Ejogo has played the late Coretta Scott King, and she was lucky enough to have met the icon before her death in 2006.
"You realized this was a really, smart, warm, brilliant woman that I felt so honored to get the chance to show the full nuance of her character," she said.
The man behind the myth is what Oyelowo says he was seeking, as he fought for seven years for the right to play the part.
"I think there's an element of divine timing with this," he said. "I feel like this is a film that was holding itself back, because it is in time for such a time as this. It is a time we need this film considering what's going on in the region."
The recent tensions between cops and demonstrators in the city and across the nation caused members of this cast to draw parallels between now and then.
"These are our elders and our ancestors who really did this," Ejogo said. "It's almost like 'Selma' is a gift from them, saying, 'Hey, these are some of the ways that you all can get through this.'"
Paramount Pictures has partnered with African-American business leaders in New York City, who created a fund that will allow seventh, eighth and ninth grade students in New York City to see the film for free at participating theaters. The students will provide a student ID or report card at any of the New York City locations for free admittance. The effort will begin at 7 p.m. Thursday and run through January 19 (Martin Luther King Day) or while tickets last.
The participating New York City theaters are:
--UA Kaufman Astoria Cinemas 14, Astoria
--AMC Bay Plaza Cinema 13, Bronx
--Concourse Plaza Multiplex 10, Bronx
--Alpine Cinemas 8, Brooklyn
--Bam Harvey Theater, Brooklyn
--Cobble Hill Cinemas 5, Brooklyn
--Linden Boulevard Multiplex Cinemas 14, Brooklyn
--The Pavilion Theater, Brooklyn
--UA Court Street 12, Brooklyn
--UA Sheepshead Bay Stadium 14, Brooklyn
-Williamsburg Cinemas 7, Brooklyn
--Movieworld Cinemas 7, Douglaston
--AMC Fresh Meadows 7, Fresh Meadows
--UA Midway Stadium 9, Forest Hills
--Regal Atlas Park Stadium 8, Glendale
--Jamaica Multiplex Cinemas 15, Jamaica
--AMC Loews 34th Street 14, New York
--AMC Loews Kips Bay 15, New York
--AMC Loews Lincoln Square 13, New York
--AMC Empire 25, New York
--AMC Magic Johnson Harlem 9, New York
--Bow Tie Chelsea Cinemas 9, New York
--City Cinemas East 86th Street Cinema, New York
--Regal Battery Park Stadium 11, New York
--Regal Union Square Stadium 14, New York
--UA Staten Island Stadium 16, Staten Island
--College Point Multiplex Cinemas 12, Whitestone
To reserve 25 or more student tickets during this program, please visit SelmaMovie.com/nyc while tickets last.