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August 31, 2005 "Oscar’s Docs" Series Kicks Off
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Battle of Midway (1942) |
Beverly Hills, CA — The Oscar®-winning documentaries of 1941 and 1942 will screen on Monday, September 12, at 7:30 p.m., in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Linwood Dunn Theater as "Oscar’s Docs: The First Twenty Years of Academy Award®-Winning Documentaries" gets under way. The 12-week series will showcase the first 40 short subject and feature-length documentaries honored by the Academy since the inception of the category in 1941.
Oscar-winning documentarian Arnold Schwartzman (“Genocide,” 1981) will kick off the evening with a reading of documentary pioneer John Grierson’s remarks given at the 14th Awards ceremony as an introduction to the first documentary award being presented.
“Oscar’s Docs” of the early ‘40s reflect international perspectives and attitudes toward World War II. “Churchill’s Island,” the first documentary honored by the Academy, was produced by the National Film Board of Canada and portrayed England’s brave struggle against the Nazis during the Battle of Britain. The following year the Academy honored four documentaries with special awards:
“Prelude to War,” produced by Frank Capra, received a special award, presented to the United States Army Special Services, “for its trenchant conception and authentic and stirring dramatization of the events which forced our nation into the war and of the ideals for which we fight”;
“Moscow Strikes Back,” produced by Artkino, received an award “for its vivid presentation of the heroism of the Russian Army and of the Russian people in the defense of Moscow, and for its achievement in doing so under conditions of extreme difficulty and danger”;
“Kokoda Front Line!,” produced by the Australian News and Information Bureau, earned Australia its first Academy Award, a special award “for its effectiveness in portraying, simply yet forcefully, the scene of war in New Guinea and for its moving presentation of the bravery and fortitude of our Australian comrades in arms” and
The United States Navy was honored for “The Battle of Midway.” directed by John Ford, for “the historical value of its achievement in offering a camera record of one of the decisive battles of the world – a record unique both for the courage of those who made it under fire, and for its magnificent portrayal of the gallantry of our armed forces in battle.”
Passes for "Oscar’s Docs: The First Twenty Years of Academy Award-Winning Documentaries" are available now at a cost of $30 for the general public and $25 for Academy members and students with valid I.D. Tickets for individual evenings of the series will go on sale September 1, at a cost of $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with valid I.D.
Tickets 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 Academy’s Linwood Dunn Theater is located at 1313 Vine Street in Hollywood. For more information call (310) 247-3000, ext. 111.
Editors: Please note that downloadable photos from these films are available at http://photos.oscars.org.
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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
www.oscars.org
publicity@oscars.org
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