December 4, 2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Dawn Newell  - (310) 247-3000
                       dnewell@oscars.org

Beverly Hills, CA - The Academy pays tribute to the year 1903, a seminal time in motion picture development, on Wednesday, December 10, at 7:30 p.m. with "A Century Ago: The Films of 1903." The event is the inaugural public program at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' new theater at the Pickford Center for Motion Picture Study in Hollywood.

"A Century Ago: The Films of 1903" will include a partial survey of turn-of-the-twentieth-century American filmmaking with trick films, actualities and gag films. The program will include the one-reel "feature" films "A Day in the Life of an American Fireman," "Uncle Tom's Cabin" and "Rube and Mandy at Coney Island."

Pianist Michael Mortilla will provide live musical accompaniment.

After being viewed as a technological novelty for years, interest in the motion picture had waned by 1903. Several narrative films were released that year, including Edison's "The Great Train Robbery," and are credited with sparking a renewed interest in the motion picture. A color-tinted print of "The Great Train Robbery" also will be featured during the program.

All prints are 35mm and drawn from the collections of the Academy Film Archive, the Library of Congress and the UCLA Film and Television Archive.

Tickets for "A Century Ago: The Films of 1903" are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid I.D. They may be purchased by mail, in person at the Academy during regular business hours or, pending availability, the night of the screening when the doors open at 6:30 p.m. The theater is located at 1313 N. Vine Street at Fountain Avenue in Hollywood. Free parking is available from Homewood Avenue, one block north of Fountain. For more information, please call 310-247-3600 or visit the Academy's website at www.oscars.org.