The U.S. Tennis Association Long Island Region and the Gold Coast International Film Festival hosted the Long Island premiere of Althea, a documentary about the life and achievements of Althea Gibson, on Saturday, Aug. 29, at 7:30 p.m. (doors open at 7:00 p.m.). The screening will take place at Soundview Cinemas, 7 Soundview Market Place.
Althea Gibson’s life and achievements transcend sports. From her roots in poverty, she emerged as a most unlikely queen of the highly segregated tennis world in the 1950s, with her fame thrusting her unwillingly into the early Civil Rights Movement. Althea reveals rare archival material and compelling interviews with those who knew Gibson personally, such as former New York City Mayor David Dinkins, Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe, the widow of Arthur Ashe, and Billie Jean King (an executive producer of the film). A question-and-answer session with Director Rex Miller will follow the screening.
