CITY Screen, York, will mark Martin Luther King Day by presenting an exclusive preview of Selma (12A), Ava DuVernay's powerful dramatisation of the United States civil rights movement of the 1960s, on January 19 at 6pm.

The film's release celebrates the 50th anniversary of the passing of the USA's Voting Rights Act in a triumphant story of the power of the people. DuVernay draws on her strength as a documentary filmmaker to recount the pivotal moment in Dr Martin Luther King Jnr's epic Civil Rights struggle: the 1965 protest march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, to secure the right to vote for African Americans.

The 128-minute feature film opens with Martin Luther King (David Oyelowo) collecting his Nobel Peace Prize, then moves swiftly to the bombing of an Alabama church and the dignified attempts of a local resident (portrayed by co-producer Oprah Winfrey) to register to vote.

As its title suggests, Selma focuses on the city that King chose as central to his efforts to persuade President Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) to grant voting rights for all, a battle that proved bitter and often bloody. Carmen Ejogo, as King’s equally determined wife Coretta Scott King, Tim Roth, as racist governor George Wallace, and Cuba Gooding Jnr, as Montgomery civil rights lawyer Fred Gray, shine among an extensive cast, and DuVernay is tipped to become the first black woman to be nominated for an Oscar for Best Director.

Tickets for the January 19 preview can be booked on 0871 902 5726 or at
picturehouses.co.uk/cinema/york

Meanwhile, if you pre-book before February 9 to see Selma at Picturehouse Cinemas, you will be entered into a prize draw to win a trip to New York. The prize consists of return flights from London to New York for two people and two nights in a hotel.

One winner will be selected and notified within seven days of the competition closing. The prize must be taken between September and October 2015 and is not valid during any British or USA school holidays. A double or twin room is available at the hotel; the winner must specify when accepting the prize. Travel to and from the airport is not included. Full terms and conditions apply.