A special preview of Lord Attenborough's latest film, Grey Owl, will take place at the Gardner Arts Centre on 10 February.
Tickets are still available for the event, which starts at 7.15pm with a buffet meal and wine, followed by a screening of Grey Owl in the auditorium. Afterwards, Lord Attenborough will discuss the making of the film he directed and co-produced.
Grey Owl is the extraordinary story of Archie Belaney, a man born in Hastings in 1888 who went on to fool the world into believing he was a native North American. Fascinated by the Indian way of life as a boy, he emigrated to Canada in 1906 and lived among the Ojibwa tribe in the wilderness of Temagami, Ontario, claiming to be Grey Owl, the son of an Apache mother and a Scottish fur-trader father.
He went on to write four inspiring best-sellers about his way of life and even toured the UK in full Indian regalia to give lectures about conservation. It was during a tour in 1937 that his relatives in Hastings recognised him as being their own Archie Belaney and his true identity was exposed. He died a year later from 'exhaustion'.
Among those who attended a Grey Owl talk during the 1930s in Leicester was the young Richard Attenborough. The memory came back to him more than 50 years later and he realised it was an ideal subject for a film. "It's a wonderful story, a great adventure", he said. "Here is somebody who, 60 years ago, believed passionately in the care and custodianship of the planet." | 
Pierce Brosnan and Annie Galipeau, the stars of the movie Grey Owl |
The film, which stars Hollywood heartthrob Pierce Brosnan, will go on general release in the spring.
The screening has been organised by the Chancellor's Society to boost funds for the Jubilee Scholarships, which help young people with severe physical disabilities in East and West Sussex to study for university entrance.
To date, 85 grants have been made to more than 60 young people. Due to rising student numbers, a substantial injection of cash is now needed to keep the scheme alive. An appeal target of £250,000 has been set, of which £140,000 has been raised.
- Tickets for the film preview (including a buffet meal and wine) cost £25 and are available from the Gardner Arts Centre box office on 01273 685861.
