December 13, 2002
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Dawn Newell (310) 247-3000
                 dnewell@oscars.org

San Francisco, CA - Academy Award^® -nominated director Gus Van Sant will be the featured guest at the first of a six-part film series titled "Close-Up: Visionaries of Modern Cinema," which will be held on Thursday, December 19, at 8 p.m. at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Visiting Artists Program will sponsor Van Sant's appearance.

Van Sant was nominated for an Academy Award in 1997 for directing "Good Will Hunting." His other credits include "Finding Forrester," "To Die For," "My Own Private Idaho" and "Drugstore Cowboy."

The Close-Up series will be presented by Frameline, a San Francisco-based organization that supports, develops and promotes lesbian and gay visibility through media arts. The six-part series will honor those artists who have made a significant impact in the entertainment industry. Each evening will include an interview with that night's featured guest, interspersed with film clips and followed by a question-and-answer period with the audience. The New York Times film critic Elvis Mitchell will host the program featuring Van Sant.

The Visiting Artists Program was instituted by the Academy in 1970 to provide a link between the academic study of film and filmmaking and the men and women who make movies. Through the program, members of the Academy's various branches share their expertise in classrooms, festivals, conferences and other film-related events.