September 15, 2004
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:  Dawn Newell — (310) 247-3000
                         dnewell@oscars.org

Academy to Celebrate George Stevens Centennial
Evening will be hosted by Oscar® winner Warren Beatty

Beverly Hills, CA — Academy Award®-winning director George Stevens will be the subject of a centennial tribute presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Friday, October 1, which will serve as a kick-off for similar celebrations around the country and the world. Academy Award winner Warren Beatty will host the event, which will include appearances by Oscar-winning actor Sidney Poitier, Oscar-nominated writer David Mamet, writer-director James Foley, George Stevens, Jr. and other special guests. The evening will begin at 7:30 p.m. and be held in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

The program will celebrate both the life and career of Stevens and will feature clips from many of his classic films, including the 1951 drama "A Place in the Sun" and the 1956 film "Giant," both of which earned him Academy Awards® for directing.

Never-before-screened clips from interviews shot for the 1985 documentary "George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey," which was directed by George Stevens Jr., will be interspersed throughout the evening. Hollywood legends such as Katharine Hepburn, Rock Hudson, Jimmy Stewart, Ginger Rogers and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. talk candidly in these interviews about their experiences working with Stevens.

Stevens headed a combat motion picture unit under General Dwight Eisenhower from 1944 to 1946 and was awarded the Legion of Merit for his service. Footage from Stevens' World War II unit, which includes unique color, also will be shown during the tribute.

Additional tributes to Stevens will take place in other cities including New York, Washington D.C. and London. Details about these events will be announced later this month.

Born on December 18, 1904, in Oakland, California, Stevens began working in the film industry as a cameraman during the 1920s, shooting comedies, including Laurel and Hardy films, at the Hal Roach studio. Stevens went on to direct Katharine Hepburn in the 1935 film "Alice Adams," which proved he had a range beyond the strictly comedic. In the ensuing years Stevens’ mastery of his craft continued to flourish and four of his films, "Swing Time," "Gunga Din," "Woman of the Year" and "Shane," have come to be regarded as classic examples of their respective genres.

Stevens received five Academy Award nominations for directing. As a producer Stevens was nominated for four Oscars® when "A Place in the Sun," "Giant," "Shane" and "The Diary of Anne Frank" were named Best Picture nominees in their respective years. Stevens also received the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award in 1953 and served as president of the Academy from 1958 to 1959.

The George Stevens Centennial Tribute will kick off an eight-week screening series at the Academy featuring some of Stevens' most notable films, along with two documentaries about Stevens.

The complete schedule for the Stevens Film Retrospective is as follows:

A commemorative pass for the George Stevens Centennial Tribute and all twelve films in the retrospective is available at a cost of $25 for the general public and $15 for Academy members and students with valid identification.

Tickets for the tribute or individual screenings are $5 each for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students. Tickets may be purchased by mail, in person at the Academy during regular business hours, or, pending availability, the night of each event when the doors open at 7 p.m. The Academy is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. For more information, call 310-247-3600.

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©A.M.P.A.S.®
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
8949 Wilshire Boulevard Beverly Hills, CA 90211-1972
(310) 247-3000
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