NCM Fathom , the entertainment division of National CineMedia, today announced an agreement with U.S. Figure Skating to present the cinematic feature RISE as part of a special in-theater event on Feb. 17, 2011. This historic evening will celebrate American figure skating, while commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Feb. 15, 1961 plane crash in which all of the members of the United States World Figure Skating team perished.
Broadcast live to hundreds of theaters nationwide across NCM’s exclusive Digital Broadcast Network (DBN) that reaches more than 500 movie theaters and performing arts centers throughout the U.S., the event will include a red-carpet extravaganza, uniquely choreographed figure skating performances, interviews with several American figure skating legends and the world premiere of RISE. Visit www.FathomEvents.com to learn more.
RISE will take audiences on a powerful journey through some of the biggest moments in the history of the sport. Figure skating luminaries, family and friends will share their memories of the 1961 U.S. World Team while discussing the effects the tragedy had on the skating world and beyond. 2010 Olympic champion Evan Lysacek and his legendary coach Frank Carroll are two of the skating luminaries that will appear in the cinematic feature.
Lysacek’s crowning moment in Vancouver this past February reminds everyone how closely tied today’s generation of skaters is to those that lost their lives 50 years ago on the way to the World Championships in Prague, Czechoslovakia. Carroll, who also coached nine-time U.S. champion Michelle Kwan, was a student of Maribel Vinson Owen, one of the coaches that perished in the plane crash and a central figure in RISE.
“The 50th anniversary of this significant moment in our history merits a commemoration of this magnitude,” said David Raith, executive director of U.S. Figure Skating. “The opportunity to reach our members, figure skating fans and the American public on the big screen gives us the ultimate platform to convey U.S. Figure Skating’s pride in its heritage by illustrating the enduring power of resilience through sport.”
RISE, produced and directed by 16-time Emmy Award winners Lookalike Productions, is an uplifting celebration of the sport of figure skating. With the stories of the 1961 World Team at its center, RISE shows how the unfulfilled dreams of those who lost their lives on Sabena Airlines Flight 548 would be shared – and forever realized – by the generations of skaters that have followed.
Many of the dreams that have been fulfilled since that tragic day in 1961 were made possible through support from the U.S. Figure Skating Memorial Fund. The Fund, established as a living memorial to those that lost their lives in the crash, has supported thousands of skaters at every level, including Olympic champions, with contributions totaling in the millions.
“Fathom is proud to team with U.S. Figure Skating for this historic event to remember the lives of those lost in this tragic accident 50 years ago and to watch some of America’s greatest skaters pay tribute in a once-in-a-lifetime celebration that will live on in the hearts of all Americans,” said Dan Diamond, vice president of NCM Fathom. “The dreams these skaters and coaches had have not gone unfilled. For one night, all Americans can come together in theaters to celebrate figure skating and the humanity that defines it.”
Fathom is a leader in the alternative entertainment industry, presenting a variety of one-of-a-kind entertainment events in movie theaters nationwide since 2002 including live, high-definition performances of the Metropolitan Opera, as well as special live town hall discussions, sporting, music, anime and many other unique entertainment presentations.
