The 2017 Academy Award-nominated film LION will be honored at the 2017 Gala for Child Protection: Because All Children Deserve a Safe Childhood on Thursday, May 4 at 6 p.m. at Gotham Hall in New York City.  The gala hosted by the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC), will honor the film in recognition of its critical role in raising the global community’s awareness of the issue of missing children. Movie producer Harvey Weinstein, the co-founder of The Weinstein Company which released LION, will accept the 2017 Champion for Children award in honor of the film.

LION, starring Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman and Oscar-nominated actor Dev Patel, is based on the true story of Saroo Brierley. At the age of five, Brierley was separated from his brother in a train station and ultimately was forced to survive on the streets of Calcutta before being adopted by an Australian family. Later, as a grown man, played by Patel, he used Google Earth to reunite with his biological family in India. LION is considered a leading contender for the 2017 Best Picture Oscar, and actors Patel and Kidman have both received Best Supporting Actor Oscar nominations this year. In addition, Australian screenwriter Luke Davies was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay.

In citing the work, Ambassador Maura Harty, ICMEC President and CEO, said: “The compelling film not only tells Saroo Brierley’s story, but it also captures the tragic pain and loss suffered by missing children and their families anywhere in the world. We are grateful that Harvey Weinstein and LION unsparingly, but eloquently, helps raise awareness of this critical issue.”