The last project of superman Chris Reeve

Lacey Chabert plays the title role in A&E's The Brooke Ellison Story, which was one of Christopher Reeve's last projects.

"I'm here because Chris was a dear, profound friend of mine," the actress said as she walked into the premiere of A&E's TV film The Brooke Ellison Story, the last project directed to completion by the late actor, director and activist Christopher Reeve. He wrapped the film, which airs Monday (8 p.m. ET/PT), this summer.

Despite bubbly live &to=http:// english.pravda.ru/culture/2001/12/20/24042.html ' target=_blank>music and an abundance of food and drink, Wednesday's cocktail party at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall had a bittersweet feel as guests paid tribute to Reeve, who died Oct. 10 of heart failure while being treated for an infected bedsore. His wife, Dana, and children, Will, Matthew and Alexandra, attended the event but did not walk the red carpet, says USA Today.

According to the CNN, in "The Brooke Ellison Story," Reeve set out to dramatize the real-life triumph over adversity of its subject who, at age 11, was struck by a car and paralyzed from the neck down, yet a few years later graduated with honors from Harvard University.

Meanwhile, Reeve, himself a quadriplegic, clearly amplified the film's message -- that anything is possible -- just by making it. In the film, Brooke is portrayed as a girl by Vanessa Marano, then as a young woman by Lacey Chabert. But always evident just off-screen are two extraordinary heroes: the real Brooke Ellison and Reeve, the film's director.