A Time for Burning: Monday Nights with Oscar
A Time for Burning, a 1967 Oscar-nominated documentary about the interactions between two segregated churches in Omaha, Nebraska, during the height of the civil rights movement, will be screened at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ “Monday Nights with Oscar” on Monday, Oct. 20, at 8 p.m. at the Academy Theater in New York City.
Hosted by journalist and filmmaker Elvis Mitchell, the evening will include an onstage discussion with the film’s producer-director, William C. Jersey, and Nebraska State Senator Ernie Chambers, who is featured in it. The screening will premiere a new print from the Academy Film Archive.
As per the Academy’s press release, A Time for Burning “originated when a Lutheran minister [Bill Youngdahl, see photos] challenged his all-white congregation to engage in discussions with a nearby black congregation in the late-1960s. Lutheran Film Associates commissioned filmmaker Jersey to record the sensitive and highly volatile discussion from both sides of the racial divide.”
Tickets for A Time for Burning are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID. Beginning on Wednesday, October 1, Academy members and the public can purchase tickets for “Monday Nights with Oscar” through the Academy’s online ticketing system at www.oscars.org. There are no transaction or processing fees. Tickets may also be purchased by mail or at the door on the night of the event (subject to availability).
The Academy Theater is located at 111 East 59th Street in New York City. Doors open at 7 p.m. All seating is unreserved.
For additional information call 1-888-778-7575 or visit www.oscars.org/events.
Photos: Courtesy of AMPAS
American Dream & Days of Waiting: Oscar’s Docs
Two 1990 Oscar-winning documentaries, Steven Okazaki’s short Days of Waiting (above, top photo) and Barbara Kopple’s feature American Dream (above, lower photo), will be screened as part of “Oscar’s Docs, Part Four: Academy Award-winning Documentaries 1988-1997” on Monday, October 6, at 7:30 p.m. at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood.
Barbara Kopple (right, whose recent Shut Up and Sing, co-directed with Cecilia Peck, caused quite a stir) and cinematographer Hart Perry (who worked on American Dream) will take part in a post-screening discussion.
Days of Waiting tells the story of Estelle Ishigo, one of the few Caucasians interned along with more than 100,000 Japanese and their descendants during World War II. The film depicts the deprivations of camp life through Ishigo’s sketches and watercolors.
American Dream takes a look at the effects of a mid-1980s strike by workers at a Hormel meatpacking plant in Austin, Minnesota. This screening will present a new 35mm print.
“Oscar’s Docs” is a comprehensive screening series of every short subject and feature to win the Academy Award for documentary filmmaking since the category was established in 1941. The retrospective will feature the best available prints – often newly struck or restored editions from the documentary collection of the Academy Film Archive.
Tickets to each “Oscar’s Docs” screenings are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID. A limited number of series passes for all ten evenings are available for $30 for the general public and $25 for Academy members and students with a valid ID. A $5 discount will be given to previous passholders.
Tickets are available for purchase by mail, at the Academy box office, or online at www.oscars.org by mail, or in person at the Academy box office at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard during regular business hours. Doors open one hour prior to the start of the event. All seating is unreserved.
The Linwood Dunn Theater is located at 1313 Vine Street in Hollywood. Free parking is available through the entrance on Homewood Avenue (one block north of Fountain Avenue).
For additional information, visit www.oscars.org or call (310) 247-3600.
Photo: Courtesy of AMPAS
Journey to the Center of the Earth director to discuss 3D technology at Academy presentation
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Science and Technology Council will host “Getting Perspective II: The Art and Science of 3D Motion Pictures” – a presentation about the making of 3D films and advances in stereoscopic motion picture technology – on Friday, Oct. 17, at 8 p.m. at the Academy’s Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood.
Science and Technology Council member Rob Hummel will be in charge of the evening, which will feature clips from a new digital version of Jim Henson’s last directorial effort, the short Muppet*vision 3-D (1991), and an onstage panel discussion with 3D filmmakers such as Eric Brevig (Journey to the Center of the Earth), Bruce Hendricks (Hannah Montana / Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour), and some of the talent behind Muppet*vision 3-D.
As per the Academy’s press release, “’Getting Perspective II’ will examine the basic mechanics of stereoscopic vision, including interocular distance, active vs. passive glasses, and circular vs. linear polarization, as well as delve into such issues as before-screen vs. behind-screen 3D convergence, audience eye fatigue, adapting big-screen 3D effects for video, and the challenges of subtitling.”
Journey of the Center of the Earth 3D
Directed by Eric Brevig, Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D stars Brendan Fraser, Josh Hutcherson, Anita Briem, Seth Meyers, Jean-Michel Paré, Jane Wheeler, Giancarlo Caltabiano, Garth Gilker, and a mean-looking tyrannosaurus rex.
Directed by Henry Levin, the classic 1959 version of Journey to the Center of the Earth starred James Mason, Arlene Dahl, Pat Boone, and Diane Baker.
Tickets to “Getting Perspective II” are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID. The Linwood Dunn Theater is located at 1313 Vine Street in Hollywood. For more information or to buy tickets, visit www.oscars.org or call (310) 247-3600.
Tyrannosaurus Rex in Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D photo: New Line Cinema.
Deadly Deception: Oscar’s Docs
The two 1991 Oscar-winning documentaries, Debra Chasnoff’s short Deadly Deception: General Electric, Nuclear Weapons and Our Environment, and Allie Light and Irving Saraf’s feature In the Shadow of the Stars will be screened as part of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ series “Oscar’s Docs, Part Four: Academy Award-Winning Documentaries 1988–1997” on Monday, October 13, at 7:30 p.m. at the Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood. Debra Chasnoff, Irving Saraf, and Allie Light will take part in post-screening discussions.
The documentary short subject Deadly Deception: General Electric, Nuclear Weapons and Our Environment is an indictment against the production of nuclear materials by the General Electric Corporation, what with, shall we say, unpleasant health and environmental side effects. During her acceptance speech, Chasnoff (right) lashed out against “the company that falsely claims it brings good things to life.”
According to Mason Wiley and Damien Bona’s Inside Oscar, General Electric told the Wall Street Journal that Chasnoff’s speech had “no impact at all … The old rule of thumb is that you have to repeat it three to four times to the average person on the street before even a powerful point really sinks in.” (Which says a lot about both General Electric and the Average Moron on the Street.)
The documentary feature In the Shadow of the Stars focuses on members of the San Francisco Opera Chorus, showing how performers playing background roles are an integral part of the operatic whole. This screening will feature a new print.
“Oscar’s Docs” is a comprehensive screening series of every short subject and feature to win the Academy Award for documentary filmmaking since the category was established in 1941. The retrospective will feature the best available prints – often newly struck or restored editions from the documentary collection of the Academy Film Archive.
Tickets to each “Oscar’s Docs” screenings are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID. A limited number of series passes for all remaining evenings are available for $30 for the general public and $25 for Academy members and students with a valid ID. A $5 discount will be given to previous passholders.
Tickets are available for purchase online at www.oscars.org, by mail, or in person at the Academy box office at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard during regular business hours. Doors open one hour prior to the start of the event. All seating is unreserved.
The Linwood Dunn Theater is located at 1313 Vine Street in Hollywood. Free parking is available through the entrance on Homewood Avenue (one block north of Fountain Avenue).
For additional information, visit www.oscars.org or call (310) 247-3600.