September 12, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:  Leslie Unger – (310) 247-3000
                         lunger@oscars.org

"Oscar’s Docs" Continues with
Focus on U.S. and British Armed Forces

	"The Fighting Lady" (1944), which earned the United States Navy its second Academy award, will be screened as part of the Academy series.

Beverly Hills, CA — The Oscar®-winning documentaries of 1943 and 1944 will screen on Monday, September 19, at 7:30 p.m., in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Linwood Dunn Theater as part of "Oscar’s Docs: The First Twenty Years of Academy Award®-Winning Documentaries.” The 12-week series showcases the first 40 short and feature-length documentaries honored by the Academy since the inception of the category in 1941.

In 1943, an Academy Award was presented to the United States Navy for “December 7th,” a short subject which focused on the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Also honored that year was “Desert Victory,” from the British Ministry of Information. The feature-length film followed the British 8th Army through the Battle of Alamein. A new 35mm print of “Desert Victory” from London’s Imperial War Museum will be screened.

In 1944, two more World War II films earned Academy Awards for their depictions of U.S. battles with Japan. Some of the footage used in “The Fighting Lady,” shot aboard the U.S.S. Yorktown, was originally intended for background shots for the fiction movie “Wing and a Prayer.” Instead, this material, including some remarkable aerial footage, won an Academy Award for Feature Documentary. Using an original nitrate version, the Academy Film Archive has created a new 35mm print, which will be screened. Also in 1944, the United States Marine Corps won its only Academy Award for “With the Marines at Tarawa,” a short subject detailing the battle between the U.S. Marines and the Japanese for control of the Pacific island of Tarawa. In conjunction with the National Archives and Records Administration, the Academy Film Archive preserved “With the Marines at Tarawa” and a new 35mm print will be screened.

Continuing the WWII focus, the September 26 installment of “Oscar’s Docs” will feature a panel discussion featuring combat cameramen and historians.

Passes for "Oscar’s Docs: The First Twenty Years of Academy Award-Winning Documentaries" are available 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 are available for $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with valid I.D. Passes and 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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