July 31, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:  Tarrah Lee Curtis - (310) 247-3090
                              tcurtis@oscars.org

“Great To Be Nominated”
Visited by
“The Exorcist”

Max von Sydow as Father Merrin in a scene from The Exorcist.

Beverly Hills, CA – The 1973 Best Picture nominee “The Exorcist” will be screened as the next feature in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ “Great To Be Nominated” series. The film, based on the best-selling novel by William Peter Blatty, will be shown on Monday, August 7, at 7:30 p.m. in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater. Actress Linda Blair, cinematographer Owen Roizman and editor Bud Smith, all of whom received Oscar® nominations for their work on the film, will participate in a panel discussion following the screening.

In “The Exorcist,” Ellen Burstyn stars as Chris MacNeil, an actress dealing with dangerous changes in the behavior and physical appearance of her daughter, who is deemed “possessed.” Blatty, who adapted his own book for the screen version, was inspired by a reported exorcism in the Washington, DC area in 1949. The film received a total of 10 Academy Award® nominations and took home the Oscars® for Sound (Robert Knudson, Chris Newman) and Writing – Screenplay based on material from another medium (Blatty). The film also received nominations for Best Picture (Blatty, producer), Actor in a Supporting Role (Jason Miller as Father Damian Karras), Actress (Burstyn as Chris MacNeil), Actress in a Supporting Role (Blair as Regan MacNeil), Art Direction (Bill Malley; Set Decoration: Jerry Wunderlich), Cinematography (Roizman), Directing (William Friedkin) and Film Editing (Jordan Leondopoulos, Smith, Evan Lottman, Norman Gay).

The Oscar-nominated animated short “The Legend of John Henry” and the Oscar-winning live action short “The Bolero” will be screened prior to the feature.

Tickets for “The Exorcist” may be purchased at a cost of $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID. Tickets may be purchased by mail, in person at the Academy during regular business hours or, depending on availability, on the night of the screening when the doors open at 6:30 p.m. Curtain time for the feature is 7:30 p.m., and pre-show elements will begin at 7 p.m. The Academy is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. For more information, call (310) 247-3600.

Editors: Please note that downloadable images are available at http://photos.oscars.org/.

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