October 15, 2004
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:  Leslie Unger — (310) 247-3000
                         lunger@oscars.org

Academy and National Archives to Present Centennial Tribute to George Stevens in McGowan Theater

Beverly Hills, CA — The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Foundation for the National Archives will present a George Stevens Centennial Tribute screening series on October 22 – 24, at the recently opened 290-seat William G. McGowan Theater, at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. The series serves as the premiere event in a new relationship between the Academy, the Foundation for the National Archives and the Archives’ Charles Guggenheim Center for the Documentary Film, which will bring Academy-conceived public programming to the McGowan Theater three times a year.

“It is a great pleasure, as well as an honor, for the Academy to establish this new partnership,” said Academy President Frank Pierson. “While our extensive public programming in Los Angeles and our more modest public events and screenings in New York are extremely satisfying, as well as popular, this new relationship to bring Academy-quality events to the nation’s capital is an opportunity we are very excited about.”

“With the opening of the William G. McGowan Theater and the founding of the Charles Guggenheim Center for the Documentary Film, the Foundation for the National Archives has the opportunity to use the tremendous power of film and educational forums to further our overall goals,” Tom Wheeler, President of the Foundation of the National Archives. “And who better to have as a partner for film-related events than the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.”

For this first outing, five George Stevens-directed features, as well as two documentaries about the legendary filmmaker, will be screened for the public. The series is an abbreviated version of the Stevens Centennial programming the Academy is presenting in Beverly Hills during October and November.

Following is the schedule:

October 22
6:00 p.m. – “George Stevens: D-Day to Berlin” (1994)
8:30 p.m. – “The More the Merrier” (1943)

October 23
5:30 p.m. – “ George Stevens: A Filmmaker’s Journey” (1985)
7:30 p.m. – “Shane” (1953)

October 24
5:30 p.m. – “Alice Adams” (1935)
7:30 p.m. – “A Place in the Sun” (1951)

In a career that spanned six decades, Stevens directed and produced some of the cinema’s most enduring classics, including “Shane” and “A Place in the Sun” (both featured in this series), as well as 1956’s “Giant.” In addition to receiving 11 nominations for Academy Awards he won two Oscars and was also presented with the organization’s prestigious Irving G. Thalberg Award.

It is the mission of the Foundation of the National Archives to create public awareness of the importance of the National Archives as a primary resource of the American Democracy. The purpose of the Foundation is to educate, enrich and inspire a deeper appreciation of our country’s heritage through the treasured holdings of our national history.

Best known for its annual Academy Awards presentation, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a professional honorary organization founded in 1927. Its goals are to advance the arts and sciences of motion pictures; foster cooperation among creative leaders for cultural, educational and technological progress; recognize outstanding achievements; cooperate on technical research and improvement of methods and equipment; provide a common forum and meeting ground for various branches and crafts; represent the viewpoint of actual creators of the motion picture; and foster educational activities between the professional community and the public-at-large.

The Charles Guggenheim Center for the Documentary Film was established at the National Archives this year in honor of the multi-Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker, who died in 2002 He was also President Emeritus of the Foundation for the National Archives. The majority of his life’s work of over 500 titles will be housed and preserved by the Academy Film Archive in Los Angeles; The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston, is home to Guggenheim’s politically-themed films. That facility is administered by a division of the National Archives.

The William G. McGowan Theater at the National Archives is located at 700 Pennsylvania Street, NW, near our nation’s Capitol. Attendees should use the Constitution Avenue entrance. Screenings are free and open to the public, but reservations are required. To make a reservation, please call 202-501-5000.

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