ELTC Screens AMAZING GRACE Alongside LOST ON THE NATCHEZ TRACE Premiere Tonight

In 1784, William Wilberforce, a member of the British House of Commons, began his long battle to abolish the slave trade in the United Kingdon. Although his friend Prime Minister William Pitt and other powerful people helped Wilberforce and believed in the cause, the fight was not an easy one.

"Amazing Grace," directed by Michael Apted, is the film about this historic stand against slavery. Chosen to be the closing-night gala attraction at the 2006 Toronto Film Festival, East Lynne Theater Company and The Cape May Film Society have selected it to accompany the New Jersey premiere of ELTC's production of "Lost on the Natchez Trace" and to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of America's Emancipation Proclamation.

Ioan Gruffudd portrays Wilberforce and Benedict Cumberbatch is Pitt. Playing two of the activists who helped Wilberforce are Youssou N'Dour as Olaudah Equiano and Rufus Sewell as Thomas Clarkson. The pro-slavery hard-liners Lord Tarleton (Ciarán Hinds) and the Duke of Clarence (Toby Jones) spearheaded the opposition, and The First Time Wilberforce put the bill before the House, it was defeated. In 1797, while staying in the country home of his friends Henry and MariAnne Thornton (Nicholas Farrell and Sylvestra Le Touzel), he met Barbara Spooner (Romola Garai). With her encouragement, Wilberforce launched a second campaign to persuade England's lawmakers to end the slave trade. This time he won.

The two other Sunday films that will be shown are the silent classics "The Thief of Bagdad" (1924) on August 4, and "The Cat and the Canary" (1927) on October 20, with live original organ accompaniment by Wayne Zimmerman. "The Thief of Bagdad" stars Douglas Fairbanks and the special effects, incredible still by today's standards, were created by William Cameron Menzies, who later designed "Gone with the Wind." "The Cat and the Canary," based on Frank Willard's popular Broadway play, was the first "haunted house" film ever made.

"Amazing Grace" will be shown tonight, June 30 at 8:30p.m. at The First Presbyterian Church, 500 Hughes St., Cape May, where ELTC is in residence. Tickets are $10, and may be purchased through ELTC by calling 884-5898, by going online to eastlynnetheater.org, or at the box office. Proceeds will go to outreach programs for East Lynne Theater Company, The Cape May Film Society, and The First Presbyterian Church of Cape May.

Meanwhile, ELTC's mainstage season continues with "Lost on the Natchez Trace" written by Jan Buttram, with Tom Byrn, Leon Morgan, and Stephanie Garrett in the cast, directed by Gayle Stahlhuth. It runs through July 20 at 8:30 p.m. with a Wednesday through Saturday schedule, except there is no show on Thursday, July 4, and an added show on Sunday, July 7.

Photo of Leon Morgan and Tom Byrn in East Lynne Theater Company's "Lost on the Natchez Trace." Photo Credit: Gayle Stahlhuth.