‘The Finest Hours’ Heroes for Heroes Program Kicks Off In Chicago
Walt Disney Studios announces “The Finest Hours” Heroes for Heroes program, a screening series designed to honor real-life heroes and their families sponsored by Visa Signature and Homewood Suites by Hilton.
The Heroes for Heroes program will provide military and first responders the chance to attend a screening of Disney’s upcoming heroic action-thriller “The Finest Hours.” Homewood Suites by Hilton, Visa Signature and Disney will travel across the country, stopping in 10 U.S. cities, to create these exclusive screening events.
Heroes for Heroes will kick-off with a screening in Chicago today, Tuesday, January 19, followed by screenings in Dallas, Philadelphia, Miami, Phoenix, Seattle, Denver, Minneapolis and Kansas City, wrapping up in Los Angeles on Monday, January 25, where the film’s premiere will take place in Hollywood at the TCL Chinese Theatre. The U.S. Coast Guard Band along with the U.S. Honor Guard will perform and officially open the red carpet, with 70 heroes from around the country (representing the Armed Forces, Veterans, Wounded Warriors and First Responders) attending the premiere courtesy of American Airlines and the Gary Sinise Foundation. The heroes will enjoy accommodations by Homewood Suites at a nearby hotel. American Airlines and Homewood Suites by Hilton are sponsors of the premiere.
About The Film:
“The Finest Hours” is the remarkable true story of the most daring rescue mission in the history of the Coast Guard. Presented in Digital 3D™, Real D 3D and IMAX® 3D, the film will transport audiences to the heart of the action, creating a fully-immersive cinematic experience on an epic scale. On February 18, 1952, a massive nor’easter struck New England, pummeling towns along the Eastern seaboard and wreaking havoc on the ships caught in its deadly path, including the SS Pendleton, a T-2 oil tanker bound for Boston, which was literally ripped in half, trapping more than 30 sailors inside its rapidly-sinking stern. As the senior officer on board, first assistant engineer Raymond Sybert (Casey Affleck) soon realizes it is up to him to take charge of the frightened crew and inspire the men to set aside their differences and work together to ride out one of the worst storms to ever hit the East Coast. Meanwhile, as word of the disaster reaches the U.S. Coast Guard station in Chatham, Massachusetts, Warrant Officer Daniel Cluff (Eric Bana) orders a daring operation to rescue the stranded men. Despite overwhelming odds, four men, led by Captain Bernie Webber (Chris Pine), set out in a wooden lifeboat with an ill-equipped engine and little, if any, means of navigation, facing frigid temperatures, 60-foot high waves and hurricane-force winds.
Disney’s “The Finest Hours” is the unforgettable story of the Coast Guard’s courageous mission, which is directed by Craig Gillespie and stars: Chris Pine; Academy Award® and Golden Globe® nominee Casey Affleck; Ben Foster; Holliday Grainger; John Ortiz; and Eric Bana. Produced by Jim Whitaker, p.g.a., and Dorothy Aufiero, p.g.a., the screenplay is by Oscar® nominee Scott Silver and Oscar nominees Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson based on the acclaimed non-fiction book of the same name by Casey Sherman and Michael J. Tougias. Doug Merrifield serves as executive producer. “The Finest Hours” opens in U.S. theaters on Friday, January 29, 2016