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Remembering Curtis Hanson

Martin Scorsese

9/20/2016 12:00:00 AM

"I'm deeply saddened by the passing of my friend Curtis Hanson. He was such a gifted filmmaker and writer, his knowledge and deep love of film history, including his passionate involvement in film preservation, was extraordinary. Back in the days when we were fighting for the legitimacy of preservation, Curtis was always right there and ready to help in any way he could. He was an active member of the board of The Film Foundation. He taught film at UCLA, where he was chair of the department. Anyone that had Curtis as a teacher should consider him or herself lucky."

"I first became aware of Curtis in the 1970s when he was the editor of an excellent magazine called Cinema. He was so knowledgeable, so insightful, and had so much love for the art of cinema. You could feel it in his writing, interviews with great directors, and in his own pictures, particularly L.A. Confidential, where he was able to deal with his other great love, the city of Los Angeles. Curtis's dedication to film never wavered. His passing is a great loss to us all."

- Martin Scorsese

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Hollywood Foreign Press Association Hands Out Nearly $2.4 Million in Grants

Gregg Kilday

8/4/2016 12:00:00 AM

The organization, which presents the Golden Globe Awards, announced the donation at a banquet hosted by Jamie Lee Curtis.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which presents the annual Golden Globe Awards, handed out nearly $2.4 million in grants at its annual Grants Banquet, which was held tonight at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. Host Jamie Lee Curtis opened the event saying, "This is my favorite party to go to. I like a party where they invite you, they feed you, and then they give away two million dollars. My kind of a party." 

Multiple celebrities stepped forward to announce a series of donations to a range of non-profit, entertainment-related organizations, foundations and scholarship programs. Justin Timberlake, Hugh Grant, Gina Rodriguez and Simon Helberg were among the A-list presenters.

Warren Beaty was on hand to talk about Martin Scorsese's film restoration program and filmmaker-activist Nate Parker handed out the a prize to Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Program, which helped him make his film The Birth of a Nation.

Emma Stone presented a cash grant to the Young Musicians Foundation and talked about her time as a young stage performer saying, "It was obviously incredibly exciting and nerve wracking at the same time. And it laid this amazing foundation, that there was this incredible outlet for me to express myself at a young age and it genuinely changed my entire life."

Over the course of its history, the HFPA, currently headed by president Lorenzo Soria, has committed more than $25 million in grants, handed out more than 1,500 scholarships and restored more than 90 films.  The largest grants announced this evening included $125,000 to the University of California, Los Angeles for fellowships and institutional support and another $125,000 to Film Independent at LACMA to promote cultural exchange.

The 74th annual Golden Globe Awards, with Jimmy Fallon serving as emcee, will be broadcast live by NBC from the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 8.

A complete list of the 2016 HFPA grants follows:

HIGHER EDUCATION FELLOWSHIPS & INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT

·         California Institute for the Arts (CalArts) - $60,000

·         Cal State Fullerton - $25,500

·         Cal State Long Beach - $60,000

·         Cal State Los Angeles - $60,000

·         Cal State Northridge - $60,000

·         Columbia University - $60,000

·         Los Angeles City College - $25,000

·         Mt. San Antonio College Foundation - $10,000

·         New York University - $50,000

·         University of California, Los Angeles - $125,000 

 

HFPA SCHOLARSHIP/FELLOWSHIP ENDOWMENTS

·         American Film Institute - $20,000

·         CalArts - $12,500

·         Cal State Fullerton - $5,000

·         Cal State Long Beach - $5,000

·         Cal State Los Angeles - $2,550

·         Cal State Northridge - $5,000

·         Columbia University - $20,000

·         Los Angeles City College - $4,000

·         Loyola Marymount - $20,000

·         Mt. San Antonio College Foundation - $5,000

·         New York University - $20,000

·         UCLA - $20,000

·         University of North Carolina - $5,000

·         University of Southern California - $20,000

 

PROFESSIONAL TRAINING & MENTORING

·         American Film Institute - $30,000

·         Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment - $15,000

·         Exceptional Minds - $25,000

·         Film Independent, Project: Involve - $60,000

·         Independent Filmmaker Project (Brooklyn, NY) - $20,000

·         International Documentary Association - $10,000

·         Motion Picture & Television Fund - $10,000

·         New Filmmakers Los Angeles - $10,000

·         SAG/AFTRA Foundation - $10,000

·         Streetlights - $10,000

·         Sundance Institute - $100,000

·         Women Make Movies - $10,000

 

PRE-PROFESSIONAL TRAINING & EDUCATION

·         California State Summer School Arts Foundation - $25,000

·         Echo Park Film Center - $10,000

·         Ghetto Film School - $30,000

·         GlobalGirl Media - $10,000

·         Inner-City Arts (Downtown LA) - $30,000

·         Inner City Filmmakers (Santa Monica) - $30,000

·         LAUSD/USC Arts & Engineering Magnet - $25,000

·         Los Angeles County High School for the Arts - $25,000

·         The Music Center - $5,000

 

PRESERVE THE CULTURE & HISTORY OF FILM

·         Film Noir Foundation - $25,000

·         Outfest (UCLA LGBT project) - $35,000

·         The Film Foundation - $350,000

·         Toronto International Film Festival - $15,000

 

PROMOTE CULTURAL EXCHANGE THROUGH FILM

·         American Cinematheque - $45,000

·         Film Independent at LACMA, Bring the Noise - $125,000

·         FilmAid International - $60,000

·         Latin American Cinemateca of Los Angeles - $15,000

·         Library Foundation of Los Angeles - $10,000

·         Los Angeles Conservancy, Last Remaining Seats - $35,000

·         Museum of the Moving Image - $10,000

·         San Francisco Silent Film Festival - $10,000

·         University of California, Berkeley Film Archive - $20,000

·         University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana (Ebertfest) - $10,000

 

SPECIAL PROJECTS

·         Children’s Hospital - $25,000

·         Ensemble Studio Theatre - $15,000

·         Gingold Theatre Group/Shaw Festival - $10,000

·         Lollipop Theater Network - $20,000

·         Pablove Foundation - $10,000

·         Young Musicians Foundation - $10,000

·         Young Storytellers Foundation - $10,000

 

ONE TIME GRANTS

Higher Education: Fellowships & Institutional Support

·         Cal State Fullerton - $50,000

·         Cal State Long Beach - $40,000

·         Cal State Los Angeles - $50,000

·         Mount San Antonio College - $30,000

Other Grantees

·         Los Angeles County High School for the Arts - $41,466

·         Motion Picture and Television Fund - $47,665

 

2016 GRANTS FOR NEW GRANTEES

·         Kids in the Spotlight - $10,000

·         Hollywood Heritage Museum - $10,000

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The Film Foundation, The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, and Turner Classic Movies bring nitrate projection back to Hollywood at the American Cinematheque’s historic 1922 Egyptian Theatre

7/26/2016 12:00:00 AM

Hollywood, Calif. (July 26, 2016) – The Film Foundation, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), and Turner Classic Movies (TCM), in conjunction with the American Cinematheque and the Academy Film Archive, today announced a partnership to ensure that the Egyptian Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood has the capability to screen 35mm nitrate film prints.  This powerhouse collaboration to retrofit the projection booth will make the Egyptian Theatre one of the few public venues in the country with the ability to project these rare and fragile prints.

“When I was told that one of the most beautiful movie theaters in the country could be retrofitted for nitrate projection, I was overjoyed, moved, and excited by the potential,” said Martin Scorsese, founder and chair of The Film Foundation. “I hope that this is the beginning of a trend. The art of cinema developed with nitrate from its beginnings to the early ‘50s, and the silver content gave us a luminosity and a richness that was never quite matched by the safer stocks that followed or their digital reproductions. I’d like to thank all the partners that came together with The Film Foundation—the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, Turner Classic Movies, the Academy Film Archive and the American Cinematheque itself—to make this happen. Needless to say, I’m eager for the completion of the necessary work so that I can see those glorious images projected in that one-of-a-kind theater.”

“As actual film disappears from most of the world’s eyes, we should be screening our existing nitrate prints as much as we safely can,” said Alexander Payne, director and board member of The Film Foundation. “Nothing in theaters or on television today matches the thrill of seeing films on nitrate, and we should take full advantage of our being, sadly, among the last humans able to screen them."

“The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has long been a supporter of preserving the integrity and history of the art of filmmaking for generations to come,” said HFPA President Lorenzo Soria. “We are proud to partner with organizations whose values are in line with those of the HFPA, and together we will bring to the historic Egyptian Theatre film the way it was intended to be experienced.”

Cellulose nitrate was the standard film stock in commercial use from the earliest days of cinema until it was discontinued in 1951. Widely agreed to possess a uniquely beautiful image quality, the stock is highly flammable and was replaced by cellulose acetate “safety film.” Nitrate prints, some nearly a century old, still survive in carefully controlled vault environments, but are rarely seen because only a handful of theaters are equipped to screen them. 

“Film preservation and the ability to share and celebrate all aspects of film history are central to the mission of TCM,” said Genevieve McGillicuddy, vice president of partnerships and brand activation, TCM. “We're thrilled to be part of this partnership in order to bring film fans a truly unique opportunity to experience nitrate films.”

American Cinematheque chairman Rick Nicita says, “This exciting project will truly make it possible for the American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theatre to show every film format possible. A state-of-the-art digital projector will sit side-by-side with our 35mm/70mm machines – representing the rich history of cinema, as well as the future of the art form.”

The new nitrate-safe projection booth at the Egyptian Theatre was designed by BAR Architects, the firm behind the new Packard Humanities Institute film archive and screening facility in Santa Clarita, Calif., and the Library of Congress’ Packard Campus in Culpeper, Va.  Contractor KCS West has begun construction, and the retrofit is scheduled for completion in fall of 2016.

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For more information, please contact:

The Film Foundation
Kristen Merola
Project Manager
kmerola@film-foundation.org
323-436-5060

Hollywood Foreign Press Association
Michael Samonte / Alyssa Furnari
Sunshine Sachs
GoldenGlobes@SunshineSachs.com
323-822-9300

Turner Classic Movies
Kendel White
Kendel.white@turner.com
404-575-9258

American Cinematheque
Margot Gerber
Marketing & Publicity
margot@americancinematheque.com
323.461-2020, ext. 115


About The Film Foundation (TFF)
The Film Foundation is a nonprofit organization established by Martin Scorsese in 1990 dedicated to protecting and preserving motion picture history. By working in partnership with archives and studios, the foundation has helped to restore nearly 700 films, which are made accessible to the public through programming at festivals, museums, and educational institutions around the world. The Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project has restored 28 films from 20 different countries representing the rich diversity of world cinema. The foundation’s free educational curriculum, The Story of Movies, teaches young people - over 10 million to date - about film language and history.  For more information visit: www.film-foundation.org

About The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA)
Founded in the 1940s during World War II, the HFPA was originally comprised of a handful of L.A.-based overseas journalists who sought to bridge the international community with Hollywood, and to provide distraction from the hardships of war through film. Seventy years later, members of the HFPA represent 56 countries with a combined readership of 250 million in some of the world’s most respected publications. Each year, the organization holds the third most watched awards show on television, the Golden Globe® Awards, which has enabled the organization to donate more than $25 million to entertainment-related charities and scholarship programs. For more information, please visit www.GoldenGlobes.com and follow us on Twitter (@GoldenGlobes) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/GoldenGlobes).

About Turner Classic Movies (TCM)
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is a two-time Peabody Award-winning network that presents great films, uncut and commercial-free, from the largest film libraries in the world highlighting the entire spectrum of film history. TCM, which is available in more than 85 million homes, features the insights of hosts Robert Osborne and Ben Mankiewicz, plus interviews with a wide range of special guests and serves as the ultimate movie lover destination. Currently in its 22nd year as a leading authority in classic film, TCM offers critically acclaimed series like The Essentials, along with annual programming events like 31 Days of Oscar® in February and Summer Under the Stars in August. TCM also directly connects with movie fans through events as the annual TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood and the TCM Classic Cruise, as well as through the TCM Classic Film Tour in New York City and Los Angeles. In addition, TCM produces a wide range of media about classic film, including books and DVDs, and hosts a wealth of material online at tcm.com and through the Watch TCM mobile app.

TCM is part of Turner, a Time Warner company. Turner creates and programs branded news; entertainment; animation and young adult; and sports media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.

About American Cinematheque
Established in 1981, the American Cinematheque is a 501 C 3 non-profit viewer-supported film exhibition and cultural organization dedicated to the celebration of the Moving Picture in all of its forms. At the Egyptian Theatre, the Cinematheque presents daily film and video programming which ranges from the classics of American and international cinema to new independent films and digital work. Exhibition of rare works, special and rare prints, etc., combined with fascinating post-screening discussions with the filmmakers who created the work, are a Cinematheque tradition that keep audiences coming back for once-in-a-lifetime cinema experiences. The American Cinematheque renovated and reopened (on Dec. 4, 1998) the historic 1922 Hollywood Egyptian Theatre. This includes a state-of-the-art 616-seat theatre housed within Sid Grauman's first grand movie palace on Hollywood Boulevard. The exotic courtyard is fully restored to its 1922 grandeur. The Egyptian was the home of the very first Hollywood movie premiere in 1922. In January 2005 the American Cinematheque expanded its programming to the 1940 Aero Theatre on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica.

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AMIA and Alamo Drafthouse Team Up To Offer 35mm Projection Workshop

7/7/2016 12:00:00 AM

AMIA and Alamo Drafthouse Team Up To Offer 35mm Projection Workshop

Three-day Event Provides Film Projection Training and Insight from Industry Experts in Partnership with The Film Foundation

Additional Partners Include Kodak and Boston Light & Sound

LOS ANGELES (July 7, 2016) — The Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA) and Alamo Drafthouse, in partnership with The Film Foundation, will host a three-day film projection workshop offering expert-led training for managers, curators and projectionists in the proper presenting of 35mm film in theaters. The hands-on, educational event will be held August 22-24 in Austin, Texas, at the Alamo South Lamar location. Additional partners supporting the symposium include Kodak and Boston Light & Sound.

As digital technology has presented new opportunities to filmmakers and exhibitors, it has also negatively impacted the availability of prints for theaters showing 35mm film. Many of those prints come from archives and similar institutions that cannot replace these valuable assets should they become damaged. At the same time, this lack of access to 35mm film prints and the predominance of digital projection has reduced the number of projectionists who have experience in handling film. This makes training in the proper handling and projection of film prints critical, and the need for this workshop essential.

“While digital has become the primary exhibition format, many theaters continue to show 35mm film prints,” said AMIA President Andrea Kalas. “We want to provide working professionals and projectionists who want to continue their education with the special skills to work with rare and archival prints to ensure that audiences will continue to enjoy many films in their original 35mm format. Bringing AMIA together with the Alamo Drafthouse and The Film Foundation, as well as Kodak and Boston Light & Sound, helps to foster an appreciation for this revered cinema experience.”

The workshop will offer a hands-on tutorial for projectionists and theater staff working with 35mm film prints and will focus on film preparation and projection as well as special stipulations for archival projection, coordinating with lending institutions, and paperwork. Instructors will include specialists in archival projection, as well as training from Boston Light & Sound and Kodak.

“I love digital projection for new release films, but only a tiny sliver of our vast film history will ever make it to the DCP format,” said Alamo Drafthouse CEO Tim League. “As an industry, we must continue to preserve, protect and carefully screen 35mm films and maintain our 35mm projection equipment.  The day we stop is the day cinema as we know it is dead.”

Participants will receive industry-wide recognition for completion of the workshop, indicated by a certificate from AMIA. Last year’s one-day event was sold out and met with positive reviews. This year, AMIA has expanded the program to include additional courses and hands-on training.

“Preservation and restoration is vital; equally important is sharing these films with an audience,” said Margaret Bodde, The Film Foundation’s Executive Director. “With this workshop, AMIA and Alamo Drafthouse are helping to ensure that archival and studio prints are properly handled and projected, allowing new generations the unique experience of seeing 35mm film projected onto the big screen.”

 “AMIA and Alamo are great stewards of film,” said Steve Bellamy, President of Kodak’s Motion Picture Film division. “Kodak is all in on film and it is critical to support the projectionist and theater community in every way we can. Workshops and events are a fantastic way to ensure that we are developing these skills in communities across the world.”

The fee for workshop participants is $250, and attendance is limited. For more information, and to register, visit http://www.projectionworkshop.com/.

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ABOUT AMIA

As the world’s largest international association of professional media archivists, the Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA) is uniquely poised to bring together a broad range of experts. Members represent film studios, corporate and national archives, historical societies, labs, post production, universities, footage libraries and more. Because of this diverse membership, AMIA provides an opportunity to interact with every facet of the field and a single forum to address the best ways to preserve and provide access to our media heritage in digital and analog formats. For further information, visit www.AMIAnet.org and follow AMIA onFacebookTwitter (@AMIAnet) and Instagram (@AMIArchivists).

 

ABOUT ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE

Tim and Karrie League founded Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in 1997 as a single-screen mom and pop repertory theater in Austin. 17 years later, the now 20-location chain has been named “the best theater in America” byEntertainment Weekly and “the best theater in the world” by Wired.com. The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema has built a reputation as a movie lover’s oasis not only by combining food and drink service with the movie-going experience, but also introducing unique programming and high profile, star studded special events. Alamo Drafthouse Founder & CEO, Tim League, created Fantastic Fest, a world renowned film festival dubbed “The Geek Telluride” by Variety. Fantastic Fest showcases eight days of genre cinema from independents, international filmmakers and major Hollywood studios. The Alamo Drafthouse’s collectible art gallery, Mondo, offers breathtaking, original products featuring designs from world-famous artists based on licenses for popular TV and Movie properties including Star Wars, Star Trek & Universal Monsters. The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is expanding its brand in new and exciting ways, including Drafthouse Films, which has garnered two Academy Award nominations in its short three-year existence and Badass Digest, an entertainment news blog curated by veteran journalist Devin Faraci.  More information about the Alamo Drafthouse is available on the official website at www.drafthouse.com.

 

ABOUT THE FILM FOUNDATION
The Film Foundation is a nonprofit organization established by Martin Scorsese in 1990 dedicated to protecting and preserving motion picture history. By working in partnership with archives and studios, the foundation has helped to restore nearly 700 films, which are made accessible to the public through programming at festivals, museums, and educational institutions around the world. The Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project has restored 28 films from 20 different countries representing the rich diversity of world cinema. The foundation’s free educational curriculum, The Story of Movies, teaches young people – over 10 million to date – about film language and history. For more information, visit: www.film-foundation.org.

 

ABOUT KODAK
Kodak is a technology company focused on imaging. We provide – directly and through partnerships with other innovative companies – hardware, software, consumables and services to customers in graphic arts, commercial print, publishing, packaging, electronic displays, entertainment and commercial films, and consumer products markets. With our world-class R&D capabilities, innovative solutions portfolio and highly trusted brand, Kodak is helping customers around the globe to# sustainably grow their own businesses and enjoy their lives. For additional information on Kodak, visit us at kodak.com, follow us on Twitter @Kodak, or like us on Facebook at KodakNow.

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