Tom Hanks to be Recipient of the 2020 Cecil B. deMille Award at The 77th Golden Globes Awards

September 24, 2019– The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) announced that eight-time Golden Globe winner and 15-time nominee, Tom Hanks, will be honored with the coveted Cecil B. deMille Award at the 77^th Annual Golden Globe Awards. The highly-acclaimed star of such legendary films such as Big, Forrest Gump, Saving Private Ryan, Cast Away, and the upcoming release of A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood will accept the honor at Hollywood’s Party of the Year® on Sunday, January 5, 2020 airing LIVE coast-to-coast from 5-8 p.m. PT/8-11 p.m. ET on NBC.

Tom Hanks the star of Columbia Pictures’ “Captain Phillips.” Photo Credit: AUSTIN HARGRAVE

“The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is proud to bestow the 2020 Cecil B. deMille Award to Tom Hanks,” said HFPA President Lorenzo Soria. “For more than three decades, he’s captivated audiences with rich and playful characters that we’ve grown to love and admire. As compelling as he is on the silver screen, he’s equally so behind the camera as a writer, producer, and director. We’re honored to include Mr. Hanks with such luminaries as Oprah Winfrey, George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Martin Scorsese, and Barbra Streisand to name a few.”

Chosen by the HFPA Board of Directors, the Cecil B. deMille Award is given annually to a talented individual who has made a lasting impact on the film industry. Honorees over the decades include Jeff Bridges, Robert De Niro, Audrey Hepburn, Harrison Ford, Jodie Foster, Sophia Loren, Sidney Poitier, Steven Spielberg, Denzel Washington, Robin Williams, and many more.

Hanks’ complex and moving performances have earned him the honor of being one of only two actors in history to win back-to-back Best Actor Academy Awards®, he won his first Oscar® in 1994 for his moving portrayal of AIDS-stricken lawyer Andrew Beckett in Jonathan Demme’s Philadelphia. The following year, he took home his second Oscar for his unforgettable performance in the title role of Robert Zemeckis’ Forrest Gump. He also won the Golden Globe Award for both films, as well as a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award® for the latter.

In 2013, Hanks was seen starring in Golden Globe-nominated film Captain Phillips, for which he received Golden Globe, SAG, and BAFTA nominations as well as in AFI’s Movie of the Year Saving Mr. Banks with Emma Thompson. Hanks was most recently seen alongside Streep in Spielberg’s Golden Globe and Oscar-nominated film The Post, for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe and won Best Actor with the National Board of Review. He will next be seen portraying Mr. Fred Rodgers in the upcoming biopic A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. Additional upcoming projects include the WWII drama Greyhound, which he also wrote, the post-apocalyptic BIOS and Paul Greengrass’ pre-Civil War drama News of the World.

His other feature credits include the Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski and Lana Wachowski film Cloud Atlas; Stephen Daldry’s Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close; the animated adventure The Polar Express, which he also executive produced and which reunited him with director Robert Zemeckis; the Coen brothers’ The Ladykillers; Spielberg’s The Terminal and Catch Me If You Can; Sam Mendes’ Road to Perdition; Frank Darabont’s The Green Mile; Nora Ephron’s You’ve Got Mail and Sleepless in Seattle; Penny Marshall’s A League of Their Own; Ron Howard’s Apollo 13; The Da Vinci Code; Angels & Demons; Splash; Hologram for a King; Inferno;Sully; and the computer-animated blockbusters Cars, Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Toy Story 3 and Toy Story 4.

In 1996, Hanks made his successful feature film writing and directing debut with That Thing You Do!, in which he also starred. More recently, he wrote, produced, directed and starred in Larry Crowne, with Julia Roberts. Hanks and Playtone produced 2002’s smash hit romantic comedy My Big Fat Greek Wedding, with his wife Rita Wilson. Other producing credits include Where the Wild Things Are, The Polar Express, The Ant Bully, Charlie Wilson’s War, Mamma Mia!, The Great Buck Howard, Starter for 10, and the HBO series Big Love, Band of Brothers, The Pacific and From the Earth to the Moon.

In 2002, Hanks received the American Film Institute’s Life Achievement Award.

He was later honored by the Film Society of Lincoln Center with the Chaplin Award in 2009. In 2014, Hanks received a Kennedy Center Honor.

Academy Award® Winner Brad Bird Set to Receive The Cinematic Imagery Award at The Art Directors Guild Awards

ADG’s 21st Annual Excellence in Production Design Awards Celebrate “Return to Hollywood” on Saturday, February 11 at Ray Dolby Ballroom

Two–time Oscar®-winning filmmaker, director, producer, animator and writer Brad Bird, whose films have consistently reflected the highest quality of production design, will receive the prestigious Cinematic Imagery Award from the Art Directors Guild (ADG) at its 21^st Annual Art Directors Guild’s Excellence in Production Design Awards, announced by ADG Council Chair Marcia Hinds and Awards Producers Thomas Wilkins and Thomas Walsh. The Awards, celebrating “Return to Hollywood,” will be held Saturday, February 11, 2017 at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood and Highland and will honor the prestigious spectrum of Bird’s extraordinary award-winning work.

Brad Bird, Courtesy of Nicole Player (WMC)

Said ADG President Nelson Coates, “The ADG is thrilled to recognize the amazing contributions Brad Bird has made to narrative design, while so adeptly creating a visual cinematic legacy for generations to come. The amazing ways Brad and his teams have elevated the production design of animation, and live action, have raised and continue to raise the bar for all visual storytellers.”

The ADG’s Cinematic Imagery Award is given to those whose body of work in the film industry has richly enhanced the visual aspects of the movie-going experience. Previous recipients include David O. Russell, Christopher Nolan, Martin Scorsese, Warren Beatty, Clint Eastwood, Norman Jewison, John Lasseter, George Lucas, Frank Oz, Steven Spielberg, among others.

Brad Bird is the director of the Academy® Award-winning films Ratatouille and The Incredibles, from Pixar Animation Studios. Both films earned Bird two Oscars and numerous additional awards. Bird was also part of Pixar’s Senior Creative Team working on such legendary animated features as Up, Wall-E, Inside Out and Toy Story 3, among others.

Bird began his first animated film at the age of 11, and finished it nearly three years later. The film brought him to the attention of Walt Disney Studios where, at age 14, he was mentored by Milt Kahl, one of a distinguished group of Disney’s legendary animators known as the “Nine Old Men.” Bird eventually worked as an animator at Disney and other studios.

Prior to joining Pixar, Bird wrote and directed the critically acclaimed 1999 animated feature, The Iron Giant, which won the International Animated Film Society‘s Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Theatrical Feature.

Bird’s credits include acting as executive consultant on The Simpsons and King of the Hill, the two longest running and most celebrated animated series on television. He also created, wrote, directed and co-produced the “Family Dog” episode of Steven Spielberg’s Amazing Stories, and co-wrote the screenplay for the live-action feature Batteries Not Included.

Bird also directed the live-action films Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol for Paramount Pictures which became the highest-grossing and best-reviewed film of its franchise. His next project The Incredibles 2 is set for release on June 15, 2018.

As previously announced, Gene Allen, the Oscar®-winning Production Designer behind My Fair Lady, A Star is Born and Les Girls, will be inducted into the Art Directors Guild (ADG) Hall of Fame. ADG will also present four Lifetime Achievement Awards to Emmy®-winning Production Designer René Lagler, Scenic Artist Albert Obregon, Emmy-nominated Set Designer Cate Bangs and Senior Illustrator Joseph Musso.

Producers of this year’s ADG Awards (#ADGawards) are Production Designers Tom Wilkins and Tom Walsh. Final online balloting will be held January 9 – February 9, and winners will be announced at the dinner ceremony on Saturday, February 11, 2017. ADG Awards are open only to productions, when made within the U.S., by producers signatory to the IATSE agreement. Foreign entries are acceptable without restrictions.

Only Surviving “Jaws” Shark Acquired By The Academy Museum

The Academy Museum announced that it has accepted into its collection a major gift of the sole surviving full-scale model of the 1975 Jaws shark, donated by Nathan Adlen. The monumental Fiberglas model is the fourth and final version made from the original mold. Created for display at the Universal Studios Hollywood at the time of the film’s release, the prop remained a popular backdrop for photos until 1990, when it was moved to the yard of Aadlen Brothers Auto Wrecking, a firm in Sun Valley, California, that regularly bought or hauled used vehicles from Universal Studios. With the business slated to close in January 2016, owner Nathan Adlen has made a generous gift of the historic prop to the Academy Museum.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) is the world’s most prominent collector of moving image history, having acquired and preserved movie-related materials since the 1930s. In developing its highly immersive exhibitions, the Academy Museum will draw on materials that include approximately 62,000 pieces of production art—such as a Planet of the Apes mask, a model horse head made for The Godfather and the lion’s mane and ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz—as well as some 12 million photographs, 55,000 posters, 80,000 screenplays, prints of 80,000 films and tens of thousands of books, periodicals, items of correspondence, scrapbooks and clippings files.

Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano, the Academy Museum will restore and revitalize the historic Wilshire May Company building at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue and will feature six floors of exhibition spaces, a movie theater, education areas, special event spaces, conservation areas, and a café and store. A new spherical addition will connect to the May Company building with glass bridges and will feature a state-of-the-art 1,000-seat theater and a rooftop terrace.

The Academy Museum will feature a core historical exhibition and rotating temporary exhibitions, complemented by special projects, publications, digital initiatives and a slate of public programs that will include screenings, premieres, panel discussions, gallery talks and K–12 education initiatives. The Museum’s exhibitions and programs will convey the magic of cinema and offer a glimpse inside the dream factory, illuminating the creative, collaborative process of filmmaking.

The shark model will join the Museum’s unmatched holdings—including an underwater apparatus and fin used in Jaws and Jaws II—as the largest object to enter the Academy’s collection to date.

Kerry Brougher, Director of the Academy Museum, said, “Jaws was the original summer blockbuster—a movie that marked a turning point in culture and society—and Bruce is the only surviving version of its unforgettable central prop. This extraordinary addition to our collection, made possible through the generosity of Nathan Adlen, is a major contribution to the resources we will use to illuminate film history and enhance the public’s understanding of the arts and sciences of motion pictures.”

Directed by Steven Spielberg and based on the 1974 Peter Benchley novel, Jaws was an immediate critical and commercial success, and was selected by the Library of Congress in 2001 for preservation in the United States National Film Registry as a work of utmost cultural, historical and aesthetic significance. The creation of the film’s mechanical shark—which Spielberg named Bruce after his lawyer, Bruce Ramer—was undertaken by art director Joe Alves, who designed a prop with a 25-foot long body, 400-pound head and jaws nearly five feet wide. The mold yielded three latex and rubber casts that were used in production. Following the film’s release, the three rubber casts deteriorated and were discarded. But the fourth cast, made of Fiberglas for promotional use, has survived. In 2010, it was authenticated by Roy Arbogast, a member of the film’s special effects crew.

“I am delighted to be part of the new Academy Museum through the gift of this beloved American icon,” said Nathan Adlen. “Bruce caught the eye of my father, Sam Adlen, at first glance back in 1990, and for many years he’s been like a member of the family. And the May Company building, where the Museum is being created, feels like part of the family too, since I grew up in the Miracle Mile district and shopped with my parents at the May Company, where my wife even had a part-time job. This is going to be the perfect place to share this extraordinary treasure with the world.”

The Academy is currently raising $388 million to support the building, exhibitions, and programs of the Academy Museum. The campaign was launched in 2012, under the chairmanship of Bob Iger and co-chairmanship of Annette Bening and Tom Hanks. The Academy has already secured more than $250 million in pledges from more than 1,300 individual donors globally.

Thirteen’s American Masters Celebrates 30 Years of Excellence in Documentary Filmmaking in 2016

Thirteen‘s American Masters has announced the preliminary lineup for its 30th anniversary season on PBS featuring Mike Nichols, B.B. King, Carole King, Fats Domino, Loretta Lynn, Janis Joplin, The Highwaymen, Norman Lear and Maya Angelou. American Masters, THIRTEEN’s award-winning biography series, celebrates our arts and culture. Awards include 70 Emmy nominations and 28 awards — 10 for Outstanding Non-Fiction Series since 1999 and five for Outstanding Non-Fiction Special — 12 Peabody Awards; three Grammys; an Oscar; two Producers Guild Awards for Outstanding Producer of Non-Fiction Television; and the 2012 IDA Award for Best Continuing Series.

“American Masters,” THIRTEEN’s award-winning biography series, explores the lives and creative journeys of America’s most enduring artistic and cultural giants. With insight and originality, the series illuminates the extraordinary mosaic of our nation’s landscape, heritage and traditions. Watch full episodes and more at http://pbs.org/americanmasters. (PRNewsFoto/WNET)

Launched in 1986, the series is the gold standard for documentary film profiles, accruing widespread critical acclaim. This prolific series has produced an exceptional library*, bringing unique originality and perspective to illuminate the creative journeys of our most enduring writers, musicians, visual and performing artists, dramatists, filmmakers and those who have left an indelible impression on our cultural landscape. Balancing a broad and diverse cast of characters and artistic approaches, while preserving historical authenticity and intellectual integrity, these portraits reveal the style and substance of each subject.

The series’ individually crafted films reflect the specific attention deserved by American Masters subjects, including such great talents as Arthur Miller (the series’ first subject), Georgia O’Keeffe, James Baldwin, Diego Rivera, Martha Graham, F. Scott Fitzgerald, I.M. Pei, Leonard Bernstein, Sidney Poitier, Judy Garland, John James Audubon, Bob Dylan, Andy Warhol, Johnny Carson, Zora Neale Hurston, Albert Einstein, Rod Serling, Bill T. Jones, Lucille Ball, Paul Simon, Richard Avedon, John Cassavetes, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Gehry, Woody Guthrie, Jimi Hendrix, Edward Curtis, Julia Child, Walter Cronkite, Woody Allen, and Billie Jean King, as well as influential cultural institutions and eras such as the Actor’s Studio, the Algonquin Round Table, the Negro Ensemble Company, the Juilliard School, 60 Minutes, the Joffrey Ballet, and a century of Chinese American cinematic history in Hollywood Chinese.

Fascinating in their individuality as well as in the whole, American Masters has become a cultural legacy in its own right, producing and presenting the extraordinary mosaic of our creative heritage and broadening viewer appreciation of our nation’s traditions and character. An artist’s work can capture, reflect and even shape a society’s experience. Without art, we would lack an identity, a soul and a voice. American Masters exists to give life to that voice.

For this celebratory 30^th anniversary season, the offerings are no less fascinating. The season opens with Mike Nichols and concludes with Maya Angelou. How can it get any better than that?

Mike Nichols: American Masters

Season 30 premiere: Friday, January 29 at 9 p.m. Meet one of America’s late, great directors Mike Nichols (The Graduate, Angels in America), who discusses his life and 50-year artistic career, from the comedy duo Nichols and May to his final film, Charlie Wilson’s War. Winner of an Oscar, a Grammy, four Emmys, nine Tonys, three BAFTAs and many other awards, director, actor, writer, producer and comedian Mike Nichols (November 6, 1931 – November 19, 2014) was an artistic trailblazer. As the legendary comedy duo Nichols and May, Nichols and his partner Elaine May revolutionized comedy in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Now, May has directed the first documentary about her former partner, Mike Nichols: American Masters, premiering Friday, January 29, 2016, at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings) to launch the 30th anniversary season of THIRTEEN’s American Masters series.

With charm and wit, Nichols discusses his life and 50-year career as a performer and director. Mike Nichols: American Masters features new interviews with his friends and colleagues, including Meryl Streep, Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Dustin Hoffman, Alec Baldwin, Paul Simon, Matthew Broderick, Nathan Lane, Bob Balaban, Tony Kushner, Neil Simon, Frank Langella, James L. Brooks and many others, conducted by film, TV and theater producer Julian Schlossberg (Bullets Over Broadway, American Masters — Nichols & May: Take Two, American Masters: The Lives of Lillian Hellman). Schlossberg also conducted an exclusive interview with Nichols for the film. The documentary features insights and highlights from Nichols’ acclaimed films, including The Graduate, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Catch 22, Silkwood, Biloxi Blues, Working Girl, Angels In America and Charlie Wilson’s War, as well as his theatrical productions Barefoot in the Park, Luv and The Odd Couple. Directed by Elaine May. Produced by Julian Schlossberg.

American Masters: B.B. King: The Life of Riley

Photo Credit: B.B. King performs on stage at the Royal Albert Hall. Photo: Kevin Nixon

Friday, February 12 at 9 p.m. in honor of Black History Month. Explore B.B. King’s challenging life and career through candid interviews with the “King of the Blues” filmed shortly before his death and fellow music stars, including Bono, Bonnie Raitt, Carlos Santana, Eric Clapton, John Mayer, and Ringo Starr, and more.

American Masters — Carole King: Natural Woman

Carole King. Photo: Joseph Sinnott / ©2015 THIRTEEN PRODUCTIONS LLC. All rights reserved.

Friday, February 19 at 9 p.m. Delve into the hit singer-songwriter’s life and career from 1960s New York to the music mecca of 70s LA to the present. Carole King joins collaborators and family in new interviews, while rare home movies, performances and photos complete the tapestry. The year 2016 marks the 45th anniversary of King’s landmark, four-time Grammy-winning album Tapestry, which was released February 10, 1971.

American Masters: Fats Domino and the Birth of Rock ‘n’ Roll

Singer-songwriter Fats Domino (b. Feb. 26, 1928), 1970. Photo: Getty Images.

Friday, February 26 at 10 p.m. in honor of Black History Month and Fats Domino’s birthday. Discover how Fats Domino’s brand of New Orleans rhythm and blues became rock ‘n’ roll. As popular in the 1950s as Elvis Presley, Domino suffered degradations in the pre-Civil Rights South and aided integration through his influential music.

American Masters — Loretta Lynn: Still a Mountain Girl

Loretta Lynn. Photo: David McClister

Friday, March 4 at 9 p.m. in honor of Women’s History Month. Explore the country legend’s hard-fought road to stardom. From her Appalachian roots to the Oscar-winning biopic of her life, Coal Miner’s Daughter, Loretta Lynn struggled to balance family and her music career and is still going strong after more than 50 years. The documentary premieres the same day Lynn’s first new studio album in over 10 years, Full Circle (Legacy Recordings), is released.

First Documentary on Mike Nichols Will Launch 30th Season of American Masters

THIRTEEN’s American Masters Launches 30th Anniversary Season with First Documentary about Legendary Director Mike Nichols Premiering January 29, 2016 on PBS

Directed By Elaine May, Featuring New Interviews With Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg, Dustin Hoffman, Alec Baldwin, Paul Simon And Others

THIRTEEN’s American Masters will launch its 30th anniversary season with the first documentary ever about legendary director Mike Nichols, to premiere January 29, 2016 on PBS. Winner of an Oscar, a Grammy, four Emmys, nine Tonys, three BAFTAs and many other awards, director, actor, writer, producer and comedian Mike Nichols (November 6, 1931 – November 19, 2014) was an artistic trailblazer. As the legendary comedy duo Nichols and May, Nichols and his partner Elaine May revolutionized comedy in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Now, May has directed the first documentary about her former partner, American Masters: Mike Nichols(w.t.).

The comedy duo Nichols and May (Elaine May at left, Mike Nichols at right).

With charm and wit, Nichols discusses his life and 50-year career as a performer and director. American Masters: Mike Nichols(w.t.) features new interviews with his friends and colleagues, including Meryl Streep, Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Dustin Hoffman, Alec Baldwin, Paul Simon, Matthew Broderick, Nathan Lane and many others, conducted by film, TV and theater producer Julian Schlossberg (Bullets Over Broadway, American Masters — Nichols & May: Take Two, American Masters: The Lives of Lillian Hellman).

Schlossberg also conducted an exclusive interview with Nichols for the film. The documentary features insights and highlights from Nichols’ acclaimed films, including The Graduate, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Catch 22, Silkwood, Biloxi Blues, Working Girl, Angels In America and Charlie Wilson’s War, as well as his theatrical productions Barefoot in the Park, Luv and The Odd Couple.

“Producing this special was a labor of love. Working with Elaine May was a nightmare,” says Schlossberg, who has produced many of May’s plays, including Relatively Speaking, Power Plays and Death Defying Acts.

“Julian Schlossberg was very nice and he really seemed to like me,” says May.

“Elaine and Julian can joke about each other because they’ve known each other 40 years, and their work together has been so successful. What seems to unite them in both humor and friendship is a deep love and respect for Mike Nichols and his legacy,” says Michael Kantor, executive producer of American Masters. “They are the perfect team for this documentary.”

“American Masters,” THIRTEEN’s award-winning biography series, explores the lives and creative journeys of America’s most enduring artistic and cultural giants. With insight and originality, the series illuminates the extraordinary mosaic of our nation’s landscape, heritage and traditions. Watch full episodes and more at http://pbs.org/americanmasters. (PRNewsFoto/WNET)

Launched in 1986, American Masters has earned 28 Emmy Awards — including 10 for Outstanding Non-Fiction Series since 1999 and five for Outstanding Non-Fiction Special — 12 Peabodys, an Oscar, three Grammys, two Producers Guild Awards and many other honors. The series is a production of THIRTEEN PRODUCTIONS LLC for WNET and also seen on the WORLD channel. To take American Masters beyond the television broadcast and further explore the themes, stories and personalities of masters past and present, the series’ companion website (http://pbs.org/americanmasters) offers streaming video of select films, interviews, photos, outtakes, essays and more.

(See two web-exclusive outtakes of a Mike Nichols interview given for the 2012 film American Masters: Inventing David Geffen.)

American Masters: Mike Nichols (w.t.) is a production of Jumer Productions Inc., Witnesses Documentary Productions LLC, Bennington Productions Inc., and THIRTEEN PRODUCTIONS LLC’s American Masters for WNET. Elaine May is director. Julian Schlossberg is producer. Roy Furman is Executive Producer. Michael Kantor is executive producer for American Masters.

Funding for American Masters is provided by The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Rosalind P. Walter, The Blanche & Irving Laurie Foundation, Rhoda Herrick, Michael & Helen Schaffer Foundation, Vital Projects Fund, Rolf and Elizabeth Rosenthal, The Philip and Janice Levin Foundation, Judith and Burton Resnick, Jack Rudin, The André and Elizabeth Kertész Foundation, and public television viewers. Additional funding for American Masters: Mike Nichols (w.t.) is provided by Harold and Ruth Newman, Daryl and Steven Roth Foundation, Andrew Tobias, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Steve Carell, Halle Berry and James Taylor to appear at USC Shoah Foundation’s Annual Ambassadors for Humanity Gala

Founder Steven Spielberg to Honor William Clay Ford Jr. with The 2015 Ambassador for Humanity Award

On Sept. 10, 2015, Steven Spielberg will present William Clay Ford Jr., executive chairman of Ford Motor Company, with USC Shoah Foundation‘s highest honor — the Ambassador for Humanity Award — at the organization’s annual gala. Ford will be recognized for his leadership and corporate citizenry around education and community.

USC Shoah Foundation logo. (PRNewsFoto/USC Shoah Foundation Institute)

Golden Globe-winning, Emmy and Academy Award nominated actor Steve Carell will serve as host, with Emmy and Academy Award-winning actress Halle Berry joining the evening’s program as special guest. Grammy Award winner James Taylor will provide a special musical performance.

William Clay Ford, Jr. (Photo Credit: media.ford.com)

USC Shoah Foundation — The Institute for Visual History and Education is dedicated to making audiovisual interviews with survivors and other witnesses of the Holocaust and other genocides, a compelling voice for education and action. The Institute’s current collection of over 53,000 eyewitness testimonies preserves history as told by the people who lived it, and lived through it. Housed at the University of Southern California, within the Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, the Institute works with partners around the world to advance scholarship and research, to provide resources and online tools for educators, and to disseminate the testimonies for educational purposes.
“It is an honor to have the support of these three iconic artists, each role models in their own right, to help us pay tribute to Bill Ford,” said Spielberg, founder of the organization and chair of the annual gala. “Their participation will help bring attention to the Institute’s mission and our joint educational work in Detroit with Ford Motor Company.”

The gala will highlight the Institute’s partnership with Ford Motor Company to expand its IWitness educational platform in the metro Detroit area. Over the next two years IWitness Detroit will provide teacher education, programming for students, and key academic resources to enable students to engage with eyewitness testimony. A portion of the proceeds raised at the gala will support the program.

USC Shoah Foundation has had a long history in Michigan. The Ford Motor Company was the sole sponsor of the 1997 NBC broadcast of the Academy Award® winning “Schindler’s List,” the film that inspired the establishment of the Institute. The Institute’s Visual History Archive is also available at University of Michigan campuses of Ann Arbor and Flint. In addition, Mickey Shapiro, one of Michigan’s top real estate developers and longstanding member of the Institute’s Board of Councilors, is co-chairman of the 2015 Ambassadors for Humanity Gala.

For more information about the gala call the Event Office at 248-593-9743, the USC Shoah Foundation Benefit at 818-777-7876 or email ambassadorsgala2015@usc.edu. Donations are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by law.

Julie Lynn And Bonnie Curtis To Produce The Academy’s 2015 Governors Awards

Producers Julie Lynn and Bonnie Curtis will produce the 7th Annual Governors Awards for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs announced today.

Film Producers Julie Lynn (left) and Bonnie Curtis (right)

The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award will be presented to Debbie Reynolds, and Honorary Awards will be presented to Spike Lee and Gena Rowlands, on Saturday, November 14, at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center®.

The Honorary Award, an Oscar statuette, is given “to honor extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences, or for outstanding service to the Academy.”

The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, also an Oscar statuette, is given “to an individual in the motion picture arts and sciences whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry.”

“Julie and Bonnie are incredibly talented producers – the perfect team to help us celebrate the accomplishments of our honorees,” said Boone Isaacs.

“We are honored and thrilled by this opportunity, as we have such deep respect for The Academy,” said Lynn and Curtis. “With masterful artists like Ms. Reynolds, Ms. Rowlands, and Mr. Lee to celebrate, the evening might just produce itself!”

Lynn formed Mockingbird Pictures in 1999, with Curtis joining as a partner in 2011. Together they have produced five films, including “Last Days in the Desert,” “5 to 7,” “The Face of Love,” “Albert Nobbs,” which received three Oscar® nominations, and the upcoming “The Sweet Life.”

Lynn’s other credits include “Mother and Child” and “The Jane Austen Book Club.” For the past two years, Lynn has served as producer of the Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting Awards Presentation & Live Read with director Rodrigo Garcia. Prior to joining Mockingbird, Curtis spent 15 years with Steven Spielberg at Amblin and DreamWorks, producing such films as “Minority Report” and “AI,” as well as co-producing “Saving Private Ryan.”

Martin Scorsese Set to Receive Cinematic Imagery Award from the Art Directors Guild’s Excellence in Production Design Awards, Feb. 8, 2014

Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Martin Scorsese will receive the prestigious Cinematic Imagery Award from the Art Directors Guild (ADG) at its 18th Annual Art Directors Guild’s Excellence in Production Design Awards, it was announced today by ADG Council Chairman John Shaffner and Awards Producers Raf Lydon and Dave Blass. Set for February 8, 2014, the black-tie ceremony at The Beverly Hilton Hotel will be hosted by Owen Benjamin and will honor more than 40 years of Scorsese’s extraordinary award-winning work.

Martin Scorsese. (PRNewsFoto/Art Directors Guild)

The ADG’s Cinematic Imagery Award is given to those whose body of work in the film industry has richly enhanced the visual aspects of the movie-going experience. Previous recipients have been the Production Designers behind the James Bond franchise, the principal team behind the Harry Potter films, Bill Taylor, Syd Dutton, Warren Beatty, Allen Daviau, Clint Eastwood, Blake Edwards, Terry Gilliam, Ray Harryhausen, Norman Jewison, John Lasseter, George Lucas, Frank Oz, Steven Spielberg, Robert S. Wise and Zhang Yimou.

Said Shaffner, “The ADG has wanted Scorsese to accept this deserving honor since the earliest days of its inception. We are beyond delighted that his schedule finally now allows him time to receive it! The ADG has always considered his hands-on pursuit of excellence of production design to equal all of the fine craftsmanship that goes into every aspect of all Martin Scorsese films.”

Martin Scorsese is one of the most prominent and influential filmmakers working today. His latest film, Paramount Pictures The Wolf of Wall Street, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Matthew McConaughey, Margot Robbie and Jonah Hill, will be released on December 25. He directed the critically acclaimed, award-winning films Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The Last Temptation of Christ, Goodfellas, Gangs of New York, The Aviator, The Departed and the 2010 box office hit Shutter Island. Scorsese has also directed numerous documentaries including No Direction Home: Bob Dylan, Elia Kazan: A Letter to Elia (both films garnering Peabody Awards), A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese through American Movies, Il Mio Viaggio in Italia, Public Speaking starring writer Fran Lebowitz and the documentary for HBO: George Harrison: Living in the Material World. Most recently he directed the Academy Award® nominated and Golden Globe®-winning film Hugo, a 3D adaptation of Brian Selznick’s children’s book. Scorsese currently serves as Executive Producer on HBO’s hit series Boardwalk Empire for which he directed the pilot episode. He is the founder and chair of The Film Foundation and the World Cinema Project, both non-profit organizations dedicated to the preservation, restoration and protection of film.

Nominations for this year’s ADG Excellence in Production Design Awards will be announced on January 9. The ADG will present winners in 10 competitive categories for theatrical films, television productions, commercials and music videos on February 8. As previously announced, Rick Carter will receive the Guild’s Lifetime Achievement Award; and Robert Clatworthy, Harper Goff, and J. Michael Riva will be inducted into the ADG’s Hall of Fame.

ADG Awards are open only to productions, when made within the U.S., by producers signatory to the IATSE agreement. Foreign entries are acceptable without restrictions.

LOU REED and MICK ROCK Releases new Limited Edition book, TRANSFORMER

Genesis Publications (www.genesis-publications.com), Fine Limited Editions since 1974, is proud to announce TRANSFORMER, the signed, limited-edition book by Lou Reed and photographer Mick Rock. Forty years ago, Transformer launched Lou Reed from the underground, way up to Mars, with a little help from David Bowie. Mick Rock was there to capture Reed’s flight on film, beginning with the iconic album cover and continuing through the wild side of the Seventies

Today, Lou Reed, rock icon, artist and poet, is collaborating with legendary photographer Mick Rock once more, with a limited edition book and record set of TRANSFORMER.  Charting the transformations of Lou Reed from 1972 to 1980, TRANSFORMER presents never-before-seen imagery of Lou Reed by photographer Mick Rock. Their new book captures Lou in the studio, performing onstage, in his hotel room, and with friends including David Bowie, Nico, Mick Jagger, Iggy Pop and Andy Warhol.

Lou and Mick discuss the photographs and their friendship in a completely original, no-holds-barred dialogue. Lou Reed tells the truth behind the sartorial gestures, innovative stage set-ups, subversive acts and legendary albums that made him one of the most intriguing artists in modern music.

Their collaboration will be showcased in a 11.5″ x 15.5″ large format volume, traditionally craftsman-bound by hand. Lou and Mick’s Transformer image is recreated on the cover, with a variety of foil detailing and gilt page edging. The book is presented in a slipcase and will include an exclusive 7” picture disc of the Lou Reed classics ‘Walk On The Wild Side’ and ‘Coney Island Baby’.

MICK ROCK: ‘I’m happy our relationship has weathered the outrageous antics of the past 40 years, enabling us to come together to produce such a beautiful tome.’

LOU REED: ‘I like Mick and I like what he photographs, so shooting with him was never a problem. All these moments would be gone forever if it wasn’t for him.’

Lou’s originality and creativity has inspired one of the most visually exciting volumes that Genesis has ever made. Each of the 2,000 numbered copies in the limited edition has been signed by both Mick Rock and Lou Reed. Available now via www.transformerbook.com

Designer John Varvatos was honored to celebrate the U.S. launch at his famed 315 Bowery boutique in New York City, formerly the seminal underground music club CBGB’s, on October 3, 2013, and adds, “Lou and Mick’s new book takes us on an amazing journey that has had a significant and lasting impact on music and fashion for over 40 years.  True pioneers and re-inventors, I am excited to host them for their launch of this incredible, sexy, delicious, outrageous, inspiring, rebellious book from our friends at Genesis Publications.”

In the late 19th century, under the influence of William Morris, the private press flourished in Britain, creating books that were works of art in themselves. Similarly inspired, Genesis Publications was founded as an independent publishing house true to the arts of printing and craftsmanship. In an interview with The New York Times, Genesis’ late founder Brian Roylance commented, “I don’t know of many people who go to this much trouble to produce a book anymore. But I think there is a future for it.” Inspired by this idea, Genesis is proud to create some of the most sought after books in the world.

Authors and contributors who have participated in Genesis limited editions include Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood, Ringo Starr, David Bowie, Pete Townshend, Yoko Ono, Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg, Sir George Martin, Sir Peter Blake, Sir Roger Moore, Michael Palin, Ravi Shankar, as well as sporting icons including Sir Brian Lochore, Michael Owen and Sir Jackie Stewart.

Genesis also despatches books to collectors in over 50 countries. Around 100 signed limited editions have been created with renowned authors, as varied as they are many. Their editions feature in the collections of the world’s finest libraries, including New York Public Library’s Rare and Fine Printed Book Department. Visit www.genesis-publications.com

Steven Spielberg and USC Shoah Foundation to Honor Artist & Humanitarian George Clooney with the 2013 Ambassador for Humanity Award

TNT is Presenting Sponsor with Host Jon Stewart, Special Guest Sandra Bullock and a Musical Performance by Norah Jones

Steven Spielberg, Founder of USC Shoah Foundation – The Institute for Visual History and Education will present artist and humanitarian George Clooney, for his tireless work as a global human rights activist, with the Institute’s highest honor, the Ambassador for Humanity Award at the Institute’s annual Ambassadors for Humanity gala on October 3, 2013, in New York City. Jon Stewart is host for the event with special guest Sandra Bullock and a performance by Norah Jones.

USC SHOAH FOUNDATION. (PRNewsFoto/USC Shoah Foundation Institute)

The USC Shoah Foundation – The Institute for Visual History and Education is dedicated to making audiovisual interviews with survivors and witnesses of the Holocaust and other genocides a compelling voice for education and action. Steven Spielberg established the Shoah Foundation after completing the film Schindler’s List to collect and preserve the video testimonies of survivors and other witnesses of the Holocaust. He envisioned that these eyewitness accounts would have a profound effect on education, and that the survivors would become teachers of humanity for generations to come.

USC Shoah Foundation is part of the University of Southern California’s Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. Working within the university and with partners around the world, the Institute advances scholarship and research, provides resources and online tools for educators, and disseminates the testimonies for educational purposes.

Today, the Institute’s Visual History Archive preserves history as told by the people who lived it and lived through it. With its current collection of nearly 52,000 eyewitness testimonies in 33 languages and from 57 countries, it is one of the largest digital collections of its kind in the world.