Brooklyn Castle: Film Screening and Chess in the Park

Come out to Bailey Park in downtown Wilmington to see Brooklyn Castle, the documentary that won the Audience Award at South by Southwest, and watch local young chess champions in action. Brooklyn Castle tells the uplifting story of the talented chess team at IS 318 in Brooklyn. With rankings higher than Albert Einstein and mostly from low-income and immigrant homes, this dedicated and naturally gifted chess team has won over 26 national chess titles, more than any other junior high school in the US. Facing budget cuts and the threat of losing the chess after-school program, the instructors Mr. Galvin and Ms. Vicary, students, staff, family, and friends band together to help save the program. Join us before the screening as “champions” from local middle and elementary schools showcase their skills on the chess board and learn more about afterschool programs supporting these kids and other students in our local schools. This sneak peek Brooklyn Castle screening is part of ArtBlast and is coordinated by the Cape Fear Independent Film Network and Working Films, a nonprofit based in Wilmington that links nonfiction film to cutting edge activism.