As the classic film To Kill a Mockingbird celebrates its 50th anniversary, a famous fan will be providing a special introduction for its televised broadcast on April 7th. President Barack Obama will celebrate the film before it airs on the USA network. Harper Lee, the reclusive author of the book, said she is “deeply honored” by the president’s gesture. Entertainment Weekly reports:

There are few films that stir the heart and soul more than the 1962 classic To Kill A Mockingbird. To commemorate the Oscar-winning film’s 50th anniversary, President Barack Obama will introduce a special broadcast of a restored and digitally remastered print of the film on USA at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Saturday, April 7.

Starring Gregory Peck as the heroically decent Alabama lawyer Atticus Finch, and based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Harper Lee, the film will air with limited commercial interruption.

In a rare public statement, Lee said she was “deeply honored” that President Obama would be participating in celebrating the film. “I believe it remains the best translation of a book to film ever made,” she said, “and I’m proud to know that Gregory Peck’s portrayal of Atticus Finch lives on — in a world that needs him now more than ever.”

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