Detroit Chapter - Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. Host Advance Screening of “Red Tails”

Jan. 12, 2012 - PRLog -- Detroit, MI --- Excitement is quickly building over the long awaited movie Red Tails - a high-flying action epic inspired by the heroic exploits of the first all African-American aerial combat unit, the Tuskegee Airmen. In connection with the release of the film on January 20, 2012, Lucasfilm has approved a select number of locations for special charity screenings. The Detroit Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. (TAI), a 501 (c) (3) organization, is proud to be a part of that group. A special advance benefit screening of the movie Red Tails will occur Saturday, January 14, 2012 at 6:00 p.m., at the RenCen4 Theatres in downtown Detroit’s Renaissance Center.

A VIP reception will immediately follow the screening - with special guest, NAACP Image Award winner, actor Nate Parker and - the true stars – more than a dozen Tuskegee Airmen DOTAs (Documented Original Tuskegee Airmen). Proceeds will benefit the Detroit TAI youth programs and community outreach efforts. Several student groups will attend the screening, including ROTC members and the 2011 state champion Cass Tech High School football team.  Ford Motor Company Fund will be the presenting "Pilot Sponsor" of the event.

“Ford is honored to celebrate the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen and to share this important part of our history with youth from throughout the area.  Ford is a long-time supporter of the Tuskegee Airmen, having hosted the reception on Capitol Hill when they received the Congressional Medal of Honor in 2007,” says Pamela Alexander, Director of Community Development, Ford Motor Company Fund.  “They are true American heroes and an inspiration to all, “

The Detroit Chapter is the founding chapter of Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. and home to the Tuskegee Airmen National Historical Museum, (www.tuskegeeairmennationalmuseum.org) which tells the story of the Tuskegee Airmen to the public and motivates youth to pursue academic excellence and careers in aviation.  The museum currently owns one of two North American T6 aircraft that served with the Airmen at Tuskegee Army Airfield during WWII. Both of the aircrafts T6 are flying exhibits.

Red Tails is a 20-year labor of love for famed Hollywood Producer/Director George Lucas. It is receiving accolades from notables including Oprah Winfrey, who recently attended a screening in Dallas.” George cares about the education of young people, he wanted to do a film that would engage them, that would excite them, and have them embrace our history in a way that perhaps a documentary could not," said Winfrey. "This film was created with the idea of attracting young people to become more interested in their history, know who they are, and spread their word."

In addition to Nate Parker (The Secret Life of Bees, The Great Debaters), Red Tails featured cast includes: Oscar-winner Cuba Gooding Jr. (Jerry Maguire), Oscar-nominee Terrence Howard (Crash), Emmy-winner Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), Grammy Award-winner Cliff Smith aka Method Man (The Wire),and  Grammy Award-winner Ne-Yo (Stomp the Yard). George Lucas (Stars Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Return of the Jedi, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, etc.) is the executive producer; it is directed by Anthony Hemingway (Treme, The Wire) and distributed by 20th Century Fox. For more information on the film, visit www.redtails2012.com, facebook.com/RedTails or twitter.com/RedTailsMovie.

About Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services
Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services works with community partners to advance driving safety, education and community life.  For more than 60 years, Ford Motor Company Fund has operated with ongoing funding from Ford Motor Company. The award-winning Ford Driving Skills for Life program teaches new drivers through a variety of hands-on and interactive methods. Innovation in education is encouraged through national programs that enhance high school learning and provide college scholarships and university grants. Through the Ford Volunteer Corps, more than 25,000 Ford employees and dealers work on projects each year that better their communities in more than 40 countries. For more information, visit www.community.ford.com