Lumos Foundation USA – author JK Rowling's international non-profit children’s organization – announced today that J.K. Rowling will join Academy Award winner Eddie Redmayne on stage at the Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall on Saturday, November 12th, 2016 at 6:00 pm for a conversation, followed by a special advance screening of the much-anticipated Warner Bros. Pictures feature film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
Tickets are available at the Carnegie Hall Box Office at 57th St. and Seventh Avenue in New York City, CarnegieCharge 212-247-7800, and online here.
This exclusive event to benefit Lumos Foundation USA, in partnership with Warner Bros. Pictures and publisher Scholastic Inc., will follow the film’s worldwide premiere, being held earlier that week in New York, and is prior to the UK premiere in London the following week. The film will open worldwide on November 18th, 2016 and on November 19th, Scholastic will publish the screenplay of the film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by J. K. Rowling in the United States and Canada.
The benefit screening at Carnegie Hall will be introduced by director David Yates together with members of the cast. All proceeds will go directly toward the work of Lumos to help the eight million children in orphanages around the world get back to family life.
The film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a new and original story by J.K. Rowling, marking her screenwriting debut. In addition to Eddie Redmayne, the film also stars Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, Samantha Morton, Jon Voight, Carmen Ejogo, and Colin Farrell.
Ticket revenues will support the We Are Lumos Worldwide campaign in the United States, United Kingdom and across the globe. The campaign will launch in September and help raise awareness and funds to end the harmful and unnecessary practice of placing children in orphanages.
“Decades of research and evidence show us that all aspects of a child’s development suffer when they are raised in orphanages and institutions. These places can never replace what a child needs, which is love, care and attention from a dedicated parent or caregiver,” said Georgette Mulheir, CEO of Lumos. "Because most children in orphanages are not orphans, they can go home if we can put the right support in place for their families.
“We are profoundly grateful to J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros. and Scholastic for making this exciting film screening possible. Not only is it an opportunity to be among the first to see the film, but it will also help Lumos do the vital work needed to help the millions of vulnerable and voiceless children in orphanages get back to their families and family life, which is their right, and it is where they belong.”
“Warner Bros. is proud to support the important work done by Lumos,” said Kevin Tsujihara, Chairman and CEO, Warner Bros. “Jo has inspired millions with her amazing storytelling, and now Lumos is doing the same through their work on behalf of children everywhere. They are truly changing the world, one child at a time.”
“J.K. Rowling’s brilliant Harry Potter series has inspired and encouraged millions of children around the world. Now Jo and the Lumos Foundation are improving the lives of millions more children by helping return them to family life, and Scholastic is proud to support this important work,” said Dick Robinson, Chairman, President and CEO, Scholastic.
Thanks to the generosity of Warner Bros., Scholastic and Lumos’ 100% Pledge, every cent donated and raised by the event will go directly to Lumos’ Families Not Orphanages Fund. The Fund will help children in the countries where Lumos works to leave orphanages and return to a family life. No portion of any donations will go to administration, fundraising or overhead costs of the organization.
Visitors to the wearelumos.org/worldwide website are invited to sign up now to the We Are Lumos Worldwide campaign, which will launch in September. Those registering now will receive early notification of further exciting announcements.
Over the past decade, Lumos has helped thousands of children – from infants to older children – return to family life in Central and Eastern Europe and more recently in Haiti. Now, in its second decade, Lumos is expanding its work in Latin America and the Caribbean, and other regions around the world with the aim to end institutionalization of children globally by 2050.
