Silverdocs: Discovery Channel/AFI Documentary Festival to Honor Martin Scorsese
March 30, 2007
(Silver Spring, MD) Silver Spring, Maryland, March 30, 2006—SILVERDOCS: AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival will honor Martin Scorsese at the third annual Charles Guggenheim Symposium on June 15, 2006. The symposium, named after the late, four-time Academy Award winner, honors a filmmaker who exhibits a passion for their subject, conveys a profound respect for democratic values and has mastered the power of the documentary to capture current events and frame history.
Scorsese is a legendary figure in American narrative cinema. This symposium celebrates his status as a luminary in the documentary form and one of the foremost chroniclers of American art and culture. Scorsese’s work, like Guggenheim’s, shows a deep concern for social issues and a deep appreciation for American cultural history. Both filmmakers highlight many of America’s social and political transformations over the past 40 years. Scorsese’s documentary work reflects his personal passions, notably his love for cinema born from a childhood viewing the movies of Hollywood’s golden age at his neighborhood theatre on Manhattan’s lower east side (A PERSONAL JOURNEY WITH MARTIN SCORSESE THROUGH AMERICAN MOVIES) where he also experienced the best of Italian neo-realism on television at home (ITALIANAMERICAN, IL MIO VIAGGIO IN ITALIA). His fascination with the role of the musical artist has resulted in one of the all-time great musical documentaries, THE LAST WALTZ and most recently the landmark series about America’s troubadour NO DIRECTION HOME: BOB DYLAN. Other projects include WOODSTOCK and the seven-part series MARTIN SCORSESE PRESENTS: THE BLUES.
Scorsese received the AFI Life Achievement Award in 1977. His many awards and honors also include the Golden Lion from the Venice Film Festival (1995), the Honoree at the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s 25th Gala Tribute (1988) and the DGA Lifetime Achievement Award (2003).
As part of the symposium, SILVERDOCS will screen a series of excerpts from Scorsese’s body of documentary work. Following the screening Scorsese will be joined on stage by special guests for a discussion of his career.
WHAT: SILVERDOCS: AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival’s Charles Guggenheim Symposium
WHO: Martin Scorsese
WHEN: Thursday, June 15, 7:00 p.m.
WHERE: AFI Silver Theatre, 8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, MD
Journalists interested in a feature story on Mr. Scorsese or attending the event should contact Jody Arlington 301.495.6759 or jarlington@AFI.com.
About SILVERDOCS
SILVERDOCS: AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival brings the best new documentaries to Washington, DC, audiences, with six days of programming showcasing nearly 100 films, plus special screenings. Now in its fourth year, SILVERDOCS is the most talked about documentary festival in the United States, called “Non-Fiction Nirvana” by Variety , the “Pre-eminent US Doc Fest” by Screen International and “premiere showcase for documentary film” by Hollywood Reporter . The Festival—which will take place June 13 – 18, 2006, at the AFI Silver Theatre just outside Washington, DC—serves as a launch pad for independent documentaries, and affords international filmmakers access to US audiences. SILVERDOCS provides business and creative connections between filmmakers, broadcasters, distributors, and funders from both established and emerging media markets at the concurrent International Documentary Conference, June 15-17. For more information, go to www.SILVERDOCS.com.
About AFI
AFI is a national institute providing leadership in screen education and the recognition and celebration of excellence in the art of film, television and digital media. AFI trains the next generation of filmmakers at its world-renowned Conservatory, maintains America's film heritage through the AFI Catalog of Feature Films and explores new digital technologies in entertainment and education through the AFI Digital Content Lab and K-12 Screen Education Center. As the largest nonprofit exhibitor in the US, AFI ON SCREEN encompasses the annual AFI FEST presented by Audi: AFI Los Angeles International Film Festival—as well as year-round programming at ArcLight Hollywood and the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, Maryland, including SILVERDOCS: AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival. AFI AWARDS, the annual almanac for the 21st century, honors the most outstanding motion pictures and television programs of the year, while AFI's 100 Years... series has ignited extraordinary public interest in classic American movies. And, during the past 33 years, AFI’s Life Achievement Award has become the highest honor for a career in film. Additional information about AFI is available at www.AFI.com.
About Discovery Communications, Inc.
Discovery Communications is the leading global real-world media company. Discovery has grown from its core property, the Discovery Channel, first launched in the United States in 1985, to current global operations in 170 countries and territories with nearly 1.4 billion cumulative subscribers. DCI’s over 100 networks of distinctive programming represent 27 network entertainment brands including TLC, Animal Planet, Travel Channel, Discovery Health Channel, Discovery Kids, Discovery Times Channel, The Science Channel, Military Channel, Discovery Home Channel, Discovery en Español, Discovery Kids en Español, Discovery HD Theater, FitTV, Discovery Travel and Living (Viajar y Vivir), Discovery Home & Health and Discovery Real Time. DCI’s other properties consist of Discovery Education and Discovery Commerce, which operates more than 100 Discovery Channel Stores in the U.S. DCI also distributes BBC America in the United States. DCI’s ownership consists of four shareholders: Discovery Holding Company (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB), Cox Communications, Inc., Advance/Newhouse Communications and John S. Hendricks, the Company’s Founder and Chairman.