May 16, 2012

This year, entries came from all 50 states in the U.S. as well as from 65 other countries. The competition includes first-time entries from Estonia, Indonesia, Latvia, Liechtenstein and Nicaragua.

“It’s been amazing to watch the Nicholl Fellowships entries climb from 99 in 1986 to a record of nearly 7,200 this year,” said Nicholl Fellowship Committee Chair Gale Anne Hurd. “With over 1,000 submissions from outside the U.S., the Academy is especially gratified to be encouraging storytellers worldwide. We’re also tremendously proud of our Nicholl fellows, who during the past year alone have had films in festivals from Telluride and Toronto to Sundance and Tribeca.”

For a complete list of countries, please visit Oscars.org/Nicholl.

The Nicholl competition is open to any individual who has not earned more than $5,000 writing for film or television. Entry scripts must be feature length and the original work of a sole author or of exactly two collaborative authors. The scripts must have been written originally in English. Adaptations and translated scripts are not eligible.

Fellowships are awarded with the understanding that the recipients will each complete a feature-length screenplay during their fellowship year. The Academy acquires no rights to the works of Nicholl fellows and does not involve itself commercially in any way with their completed scripts.

Since the program’s inception in 1985, 123 fellowships have been awarded. Among the recent achievements by Nicholl fellows: Destin Daniel Cretton wrote and directed “I Am Not a Hipster,” which premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival; Raymond De Felitta’s documentary “Booker’s Place: A Mississippi Story” premiered at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival last month; Andrew Marlowe created and executive produces and Terri Miller serves as a writer-producer on the ABC series “Castle”; Jeffrey Eugenides’ third novel, The Marriage Plot, was a 2012 National Book Critics Circle award nominee.

May 15, 2012

Beverly Hills, CA – Ten students from nine U.S. colleges and universities have been selected as winners in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 39th Annual Student Academy Awards competition. Winners will be brought to Los Angeles to join the international student winners in the Foreign Film category for a week of industry activities. The festivities will culminate in the awards ceremony on Saturday, June 9, at 6 p.m. at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, where the placements in each category will be announced.

The winners are (listed alphabetically by film title in each category):

Alternative
“The Reality Clock,” Amanda Tasse, University of Southern California*
*Only one winner was selected in this category.

Animation
“Eyrie,” David Wolter, California Institute of the Arts
“The Jockstrap Raiders,” Mark Nelson, University of California, Los Angeles
“My Little Friend,” Eric Prah, Ringling College of Art and Design

Documentary
“Dying Green,” Ellen Tripler, American University
“Hiro: A Story of Japanese Internment,” Keiko Wright, New York University
“Lost Country,” Heather Burky, Art Institute of Jacksonville

Narrative
“Nani,” Justin Tipping, American Film Institute
“Narcocorrido,” Ryan Prows, American Film Institute
“Under,” Mark Raso, Columbia University

This is the first time that a student from the Art Institute of Jacksonville has won a Student Academy Award.

To reach this stage, U.S. students competed in one of three regional competitions. Each region is permitted to send to the Academy up to three finalists in each of the four categories. Academy members earlier selected students from Germany and the United Kingdom as finalists in the Foreign Film category.

To follow the journeys of the 2012 Student Academy Award winners, visit Studentacademyawards.tumblr.com.

The Academy established the Student Academy Awards in 1972 to support and encourage excellence in filmmaking at the collegiate level. Past Student Academy Award® winners have gone on to receive 46 Oscar® nominations and have won or shared eight awards. At the 84th Academy Awards earlier this year, 2011 Student Academy Award winners Hallvar Witzø and Max Zähle were nominated in the Live Action Short Film category for “Tuba Atlantic” and “Raju,” respectively. James Spione, a Student Academy Award winner in 1987, earned a nomination in the Documentary Short Subject category for “Incident in New Baghdad.”

The 39th Annual Student Academy Awards ceremony on June 9 is free and open to the public, but advance tickets are required. Tickets are available online at www.oscars.org, in person at the Academy box office, or by mail. The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. For more information, call (310) 247-3600.

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The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present a two-night celebration of the life and career of legendary dancer, director and choreographer Gene Kelly on the 100th anniversary of his birth. Pictured: Gene Kelly, LES GIRLS, 1957.

Beverly Hills, CA – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present a two-night celebration of the life and career of legendary dancer, director and choreographer Gene Kelly on the 100th anniversary of his birth. Film clips, personal remembrances and an exploration of the technology Kelly used to change the look of dance on film will be featured on consecutive evenings: Thursday, May 17, at 7:30 p.m. at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, and Friday, May 18, at 7:30 p.m. at the Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood. Both programs will be hosted by Kelly’s widow, film historian Patricia Ward Kelly.

Kelly is perhaps best known for his remarkable dancing, but his talents extended to many different aspects of filmmaking. His work behind the camera, as an innovative director and choreographer, has had a lasting influence on the way that dance is filmed. On screen, he was the proverbial triple-threat as an actor and singer as well as a dancer.

Pictured: Gene Kelly in SUMMER STOCK, 1950.

“A Centennial Tribute to Gene Kelly” on May 17 will showcase Kelly’s charisma and creativity, his unique use of props (mops, sheets of newspaper, roller skates) and environments (a rain-drenched street, a creaky old barn), and his extraordinary athleticism in films like “Living in a Big Way” and “The Pirate.”  His beloved classics “An American in Paris” and “Singin’ in the Rain” will be discussed along with later directorial efforts such as “Invitation to the Dance” and “Hello, Dolly!”, with insightful commentary on Kelly’s creative process.

“Gene Kelly: Choreography and the Camera” on May 18, presented by the Academy’s Science and Technology Council, will take a more in-depth look at how Kelly’s contributions helped change the look of dance on film.

Even during the height of his career, Kelly frequently encountered technical barriers and studio resistance in his efforts to build dance numbers into the structure of film and bring the dance, quite literally, into the streets. The program will discuss how he overcame those obstacles and will also explore the innovative ways that he used cinematography, animation and sound to create some of his most iconic scenes.

Pictured: Gene Kelly in 1951.

In 1951 the Academy presented Kelly with an Honorary Award (an Oscar® statuette) for “his versatility as an actor, singer, director and dancer, and specifically for his brilliant achievements in the art of choreography on film.”  Kelly had previously received a Best Actor nomination for his role in “Anchors Aweigh” (1945).

Tickets to “A Centennial Tribute to Gene Kelly” and “Gene Kelly: Choreography and the Camera” are available for purchase. Tickets for each evening are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID, and may be purchased by mail, at the Academy box office (8949 Wilshire Boulevard, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.), or online at www.oscars.org. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Ticketed seating is unreserved. In the event that tickets are sold out, a standby line will form on the day of the event, and names will be taken when the Box Office opens at 5 p.m.

The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at the 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. The Linwood Dunn Theater is located at 1313 Vine Street in Hollywood.

For more information call (310) 247-3600 or visit www.oscars.org.

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ABOUT THE ACADEMY
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world’s preeminent movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished men and women working in cinema. In addition to the annual Academy Awards—in which the members vote to select the nominees and winners­—the Academy presents a diverse year-round slate of public programs, exhibitions and events; provides financial support to a wide range of other movie-related organizations and endeavors; acts as a neutral advocate in the advancement of motion picture technology; and, through its Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Film Archive, collects, preserves, restores and provides access to movies and items related to their history. Through these and other activities the Academy serves students, historians, the entertainment industry and people everywhere who love movies.

Uggie poses backstage during the live ABC Television Network broadcast of the 84th Academy Awards® from the Hollywood and Highland Center in Hollywood, CA, Sunday, February 26, 2012.

Beverly Hills, CA – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will celebrate canine stardom with “Hollywood Dogs: From Rin Tin Tin to Uggie” on Wednesday, June 6, at 7:30 p.m. at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. The evening will feature Susan Orlean, author of Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend, animal trainers Sarah Clifford and Omar von Muller sharing behind-the-scenes secrets, and a screening of ”Clash of the Wolves” (1925), starring Rin Tin Tin, with live musical accompaniment by Michael Mortilla.

“Man’s best friend” has gotten a wonderful publicity boost from the movies. Canine cinema mythology has enhanced human appreciation of the dog’s loyalty, heroism, humor and intelligence from the earliest days of film with such immediate audience favorites as “Rescued by Rover” (1905) and “The Whole Dam Family and the Dam Dog” (1905).

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will celebrate canine stardom with "€Hollywood Dogs: From Rin Tin Tin to Uggie"€ on Wednesday, June 6, at 7:30 p.m. at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. Pictured: Rin Tin Tin, undated.

More than any other four-legged actor, the dog has achieved a unique stardom with such long-lasting box office stars as Strongheart, Teddy, Lassie, Pete the Pup, Benji and particularly Rin Tin Tin. The original Rinty (there would be several over the years) was rescued in Germany during World War I by a U.S. soldier, and with his molding for Hollywood stardom, Rinty became one of the biggest box office draws of the late 1920s. The popularity of Rinty’s films would practically underwrite a struggling studio known as Warner Bros. and afford a young writer named Darryl F. Zanuck some of his earliest success.

Tickets for “Hollywood Dogs” are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID, and may be purchased online at www.oscars.org, in person at the Academy box office, or by mail. The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Ticketed seating is unreserved. For more information, call (310) 247-3600 or visit www.oscars.org.

THE ACADEMY AWARDS® TO REMAIN IN HOLLYWOOD
THE DOLBY THEATRE™ TO DEBUT AT HOLLYWOOD & HIGHLAND CENTER®

Beverly Hills, CA – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and CIM Group announced today that the Academy Awards® will remain in Hollywood under a new 20-year deal.   Concurrently, in a separate agreement, Dolby Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE:DLB) and CIM announced a 20-year agreement  to name the Dolby Theatre™ — the iconic theatre at the Hollywood & Highland Center® and home of the Academy Awards since 2002– a showcase of technology innovation.

“Our ability to swiftly conclude two significant contracts with global entertainment leaders affirms Hollywood as a thriving district, the Dolby Theatre as the ultimate entertainment showcase and Hollywood & Highland Center as a cornerstone for both the local and entertainment communities,” said Shaul Kuba, Co-Founder of CIM Group, owners of the Hollywood & Highland Center.  CIM is an investor in communities throughout North America and the largest commercial real estate owner in Hollywood.  In 1998, CIM Group identified Hollywood as an emerging urban district that meets the firm’s strategic investment guidelines and is headquartered there.  Since then, it has acquired and developed a portfolio of properties that include office, retail, hotel and multifamily residential properties.

Under the new contract with the Academy, the Dolby Theatre will host the Academy Awards through 2033.  The Dolby Theatre features 3,400 seats on four levels and 20 opera boxes, one of the largest stages in the United States with state-of-the-art infrastructure designed for a variety of programming including live broadcast.

“The Academy’s Board of Governors believes that the home for our awards is in Hollywood. It is where the Academy and the motion picture industry are rooted,” said Tom Sherak, Academy President. “We are pleased to have a new agreement with CIM that will continue our longstanding partnership.”

Dolby is a global brand and industry leader in creating the best entertainment experiences.  During the term of the Dolby Theatre agreement, which will commence this summer, Dolby will continue to update the theatre with innovative, world-class technologies to ensure that the theatre remains state-of-the-art, beginning with the immediate installation of its recently released Dolby® Atmos™ sound technology.  Financial terms were not disclosed.  The Dolby Theatre amplifies Dolby’s commitment to innovation as a leader and creator of the most realistic and immersive entertainment experiences.

“Our partnership with CIM allows the Dolby Theatre to be the world-stage for the Academy Awards, and for Dolby innovation for decades to come.  Dolby has long been an integral part of Hollywood and the entertainment industry,” said Kevin Yeaman, President and CEO of Dolby Laboratories. “Dolby is a brand recognized around the world for creating the best, most life-like entertainment sound experiences in any environment.”

For 34 consecutive years, films released with Dolby audio technologies have earned Academy Award nominations for outstanding sound quality.

ABOUT CIM GROUP
CIM Group is a premier real estate fund manager that makes private equity and/or debt investments in urban communities throughout North America, utilizing its full array of investment and operational expertise to maximize returns while mitigating risks. With offices in Los Angeles, Bay Area, Bethesda and New York, CIM has three distinct portfolios each diversified by geography and type of property.  They include: Opportunistic or repositioning and development projects in established and emerging urban areas; Stabilized/Core or well-positioned operating properties in transitional districts; and Infrastructure or properties serving the public interest.  Once involved in a qualified community, CIM seeks to routinely make additional investments in order to support the growth of the community and enhance the value of its previous investments.  For more information, please visitwww.cimgroup.com.

ABOUT THE ACADEMY
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world’s preeminent movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished men and women working in cinema. In addition to the annual Academy Awards—in which the members vote to select the nominees and winners—the Academy presents a diverse year-round slate of public programs, exhibitions and events; provides financial support to a wide range of other movie-related organizations and endeavors; acts as a neutral advocate in the advancement of motion picture technology; and, through its Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Film Archive, collects, preserves, restores and provides access to movies and items related to their history. Through these and other activities the Academy serves students, historians, the entertainment industry and people everywhere who love movies. www.oscars.org.

ABOUT DOLBY LABORATORIES
Dolby Laboratories (NYSE:DLB) is the global leader in technologies that are essential elements in the best entertainment experiences. Founded in 1965 and best known for high-quality audio and surround sound in environments from the cinema to the living room to mobile devices, Dolby creates innovations that enrich entertainment at the movies, at home, or on the go. For more information about Dolby Laboratories or Dolby technologies, please visit www.dolby.com.
Dolby and the double-D symbol are registered trademarks of Dolby Laboratories. S12/XXXXXX    DLB-G<

Beverly Hills, CA – Thirty-five students from 20 U.S. colleges and universities have been selected as finalists in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 39th Annual Student Academy Awards competition. Academy members will view the finalists’ films at special screenings and vote to select the winners. Gold, Silver and Bronze Medal awards, along with accompanying cash grants of $5,000, $3,000 and $2,000 respectively, may be presented in each of four categories: Alternative, Animation, Documentary and Narrative. Winners will be brought to Los Angeles, along with the international student winners in the Foreign Student Film category, for a week of industry activities and social events that will culminate in the awards ceremony on Saturday, June 9, at 6 p.m. at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

The finalists are (listed alphabetically by film title):
Alternative
“Falconer,” Micah Robert Barber, University of Texas at Austin
“In Between Shadows,” Tianran Duan, University of Southern California
“Last Remarks,” Umar Riaz, New York University
“Peace at Home,” Avital Epstein, Florida State University
“The Reality Clock,” Amanda Tasse, University of Southern California
“SiSiSiSiSiSiSiSiSiSiSi,” Juan Camilo González, University of Southern California
“Terra Cotta Warrior,” Bin Li, Rochester Institute of Technology
“Us,” Alex Lora, City College of New York

Animation
“Chocolate Milk,” Eliza Kinkz, University of California, Los Angeles
“Cowboy, Clone, Dust,” Matthew Christensen, New York University
“Eyrie,” David Wolter, California Institute of the Arts
“The Jockstrap Raiders,” Mark Nelson, University of California, Los Angeles
“La Lune et le Coq,” Raymond McCarthy Bergeron, Rochester Institute of Technology
“Lizard and the Ladder,” Aaron Bristow, Utah Valley University*
“My Little Friend,” Eric Prah, Ringling College of Art and Design
“Reviving Redwood,” Matt Sullivan, Ringling College of Art and Design
“Shinobi Blues,” Yue Liu, School of Visual Arts

Documentary
“Dignity Harbor: A Home Away from Homeless,” Michael Gualdoni, Lindenwood University*
“Dying Green,” Ellen Tripler, American University
“Hiro: A Story of Japanese Internment,” Keiko Wright, New York University
“Lost Country,” Heather Burky, Art Institute of Jacksonville*
“Love Hacking,” Jenni Nelson, Stanford University
“Pot Country,” Mario Furloni, University of California, Berkeley
“Reporting on The Times: The New York Times and the Holocaust,” Emily Harrold, New York University
“Smoke Songs,” Briar March, Stanford University
“Why Am I Still Alive,” Hanzhang Shen, School of Visual Arts

Narrative
“Benny,” Huay-Bing Law, University of Texas at Austin
“Contra el Mar,” Richard Parkin, University of California, Los Angeles
“Hatch,” Christoph Kuschnig, Columbia University
“Mr. Bellpond,” A. Todd Smith, Brigham Young University
“Nani,” Justin Tipping, American Film Institute
“Narcocorrido,” Ryan Prows, American Film Institute
“The Recorder Exam,” Bora Kim, Columbia University
“Requited,” Madeline Puzzo, Point Park University*
“Under,” Mark Raso, Columbia University

*Indicates first-time finalist entry for the school/university

To reach this stage, U.S. students competed in one of three regional competitions. Each region is permitted to send to the Academy up to three finalists in each of the four categories. Academy members have selected students from Australia, Germany and the United Kingdom as finalists in the Foreign Film category.

The Academy established the Student Academy Awards in 1972 to support and encourage excellence in filmmaking at the collegiate level. Past Student Academy Award® winners have gone on to receive 46 Oscar® nominations and have won or shared eight awards. At the 84th Academy Awards earlier this year, 2011 Student Academy Award winners Hallvar Witzø and Max Zähle were nominated in the Live

Action Short Film category for “Tuba Atlantic” and “Raju,” respectively. James Spione, a Student Academy Award winner in 1987, earned a nomination in the Documentary Short Subject category for “Incident in New Baghdad.”

The 39th Annual Student Academy Awards ceremony on June 9 is free and open to the public, but advance tickets are required. Tickets are available now, online at www.oscars.org, in person at the Academy box office, or by mail. The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. For more information, call (310) 247-3600.

April 20, 2012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Beverly Hills, CA – The Oscar®-nominated films “The Warriors of Qiugang” and “Gasland” will screen as the next installment in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 30th annual “Contemporary Documentaries” series on Wednesday, May 2, at 7 p.m. at the Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood.  Admission to all screenings in the series is free.

Directed by Ruby Yang, who produced the film with Thomas Lennon, “The Warriors of Qiugang” follows the villagers of Qiugang, China, as they fight for a safer living environment when a chemical company begins to poison their air and water.  The film earned a 2010 Academy Award® nomination for Documentary Short Subject.

When director Josh Fox was approached by a company requesting to drill for natural gas on his property, he began a disturbing investigation into the environmental repercussions of the process.  “Gasland” documents evidence of serious pollution and contamination across the United States caused by drilling methods that have been exempted from the standards required by the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts.  Fox produced the film with Trish Adlesic and Molly Gandour.  “Gasland” earned a 2010 Academy Award nomination for Documentary Feature.  Editor Matthew Sanchez will be present to take questions from the audience following the screening.

The 30th annual “Contemporary Documentaries” series continues through May 30, showcasing feature-length and short documentaries drawn from the 2010 Academy Award nominations, including the winners, as well as other important and innovative films considered by the Academy that year.

All films will screen at the Linwood Dunn Theater at the Academy’s Pickford Center for Motion Picture Study on Wednesdays at 7 p.m.  Doors open at 6 p.m.  Seating is unreserved.  The filmmakers will be present at screenings whenever possible.

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ABOUT THE ACADEMY
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world’s preeminent movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished men and women working in cinema. In addition to the annual Academy Awards—in which the members vote to select the nominees and winners­—the Academy presents a diverse year-round slate of public programs, exhibitions and events; provides financial support to a wide range of other movie-related organizations and endeavors; acts as a neutral advocate in the advancement of motion picture technology; and, through its Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Film Archive, collects, preserves, restores and provides access to movies and items related to their history. Through these and other activities the Academy serves students, historians, the entertainment industry and people everywhere who love movies.

Henri Landwirth, a Holocaust survivor, tells an extremely touching story about why he created a charity theme park, “Give Kids the World”. Everyone should watch this and share it. If you are in Orlando, Florida June 2nd 2012, you can attend their Fundraising Gala! Give Kids the World 2012 Gala, OFFICIAL WEBSITE!

Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award Recipient, Oprah Winfrey, backstage during the live ABC Television Network broadcast of the 84th Annual Academy Awards® from the Hollywood and Highland Center, in Hollywood, CA, Sunday, February 26, 2012.

 Oprah wins the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award!

Owen Wilson attends the Governor's Ball following the 84th Annual Academy Awards® from Hollywood, CA February 26, 2012.