OSCARS@ 2015 - September

September 2, 2015

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

JULIE LYNN AND BONNIE CURTIS TO PRODUCE

ACADEMY’S 2015 GOVERNORS AWARDS

LOS ANGELES, CA – 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.

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®.

“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.”

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.”

September 1, 2015

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DAVID HILL AND REGINALD HUDLIN

TAPPED TO PRODUCE 88TH OSCARS®

LOS ANGELES, CA — Emmy®-winning live television producer David Hill and Oscar®-nominated producer-director Reginald Hudlin will produce the 88th Oscars telecast, Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs announced today. It will be their first involvement with the Academy Awards®, which will air live on the ABC Television Network on Oscar Sunday, February 28, 2016.

“We’re delighted to have this talented team on board,” said Boone Isaacs. “David is a true innovator with a dynamic personality. His vast experience as a live events producer, coupled with Reggie’s energy, creativity and talent as a filmmaker, is sure to make this year’s Oscar telecast a memorable one.”

"What a great and exciting honor! The quest is to honor the year in film, honor the art, and above all, make it fun," said Hill.

“I’m looking forward to working with the Academy again,” said Hudlin. “I love every kind of film and this year’s awards will be a celebration of the total range of cinema.”

“We’re excited to work with David and Reggie,” said Academy CEO Dawn Hudson. “With their enthusiasm and breadth of experience, they will bring a fresh perspective to the Oscar show.”

An executive with the Fox group of companies for more than 25 years, Hill most recently served as the senior executive vice president of 21st Century Fox, overseeing programming, digital initiatives, and other opportunities on five continents. He was previously the chairman and CEO of Fox Sports Media Group, during which time he spearheaded the integration of new technologies and multiplatform programming services across the U.S. Hill began his career with parent company News Corporation in Great Britain, where he helped launch Sky Television, introduced the multilingual sports channel Eurosport, and created the hugely popular subscription channel Sky Sports. While he has contributed to hundreds of Emmy nominations and awards for the network, Hill received an individual Emmy for Outstanding Live Sports Special as an executive producer of the 2011 World Series broadcast. He also served as an executive producer on the last two seasons of “American Idol.” He recently left Fox to start his own production company, Hilly, focusing on live and reality television.

A writer, director, producer and executive, Hudlin received a 2012 Best Picture Oscar nomination as a producer of "Django Unchained." Hudlin’s film credits include “Boomerang,” “The Great White Hype” and the award-winning comedy “House Party,” which he also wrote. He executive produced the hit television series “The Boondocks” and “The Black Panther”; and has directed for “Modern Family,” “Murder in The First,” “New Girl” and “The Office.” Last year, Hudlin produced the Academy's 6th Annual Governors Awards ceremony and has been the executive producer of the NAACP Image Awards since 2012. Hudlin was the first President of Entertainment for BET Networks from 2005 to 2009, where he oversaw programming and developed some of the network's highest rated shows during his tenure. He is a partner in Milestone Media, a multi-ethnic comic book company distributed by DC Comics, as well as New Nation Networks, a premium content provider in partnership with Google. Hudlin is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Directors Guild of America, Writers Guild of America, Producers Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild. He serves on the executive board of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, and Wasatch.

The Oscars ranks as television’s #1 entertainment telecast and consistently has drawn an average audience of more than 40 million viewers for the past 10 years. The 88th Oscars will be held on Sunday, February 28, 2016, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SPIKE LEE, DEBBIE REYNOLDS AND GENA ROWLANDS

TO RECEIVE ACADEMY’S 2015 GOVERNORS AWARDS

LOS ANGELES, CA – The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voted Tuesday night (August 25) to present Honorary Awards to Spike Lee and Gena Rowlands, and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award to Debbie Reynolds. All three awards will be presented at the Academy’s 7th Annual Governors Awards on Saturday, November 14, at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center®.

“The Board is proud to recognize our honorees’ remarkable contributions at this year’s Governors Awards,” said Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs. “We’ll be celebrating their achievements with the knowledge that the work they have accomplished – with passion, dedication and a desire to make a positive difference – will also enrich future generations.”

Lee, a champion of independent film and an inspiration to young filmmakers, made an auspicious debut with his NYU thesis film, “Joe’s Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads,” which won a Student Academy Award® in 1983. He proceeded to blaze a distinctive trail with such features as “She’s Gotta Have It,” “School Daze” and “Do the Right Thing,” which earned him a 1989 Oscar® nomination for Original Screenplay. His work as a director ranges from the Oscar-nominated documentary feature “4 Little Girls” to such mainstream successes as “Malcolm X” and “Inside Man.” Lee’s other feature credits include “Mo’ Better Blues,” “Jungle Fever,” “Crooklyn,” “He Got Game,” “25th Hour,” “Miracle at St. Anna” and “Red Hook Summer.” He currently serves as the artistic director of the graduate film program at NYU.

Rowlands, an original talent whose devotion to her craft has earned her worldwide recognition as an independent film icon, received Academy Award nominations for her lead performances in “A Woman under the Influence” (1974) and “Gloria” (1980), both directed by her husband and frequent collaborator, John Cassavetes. She got her start on the New York stage and in live television in the 1950s and has appeared in 40 feature films to date, from “The High Cost of Loving” in 1958 to “Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks,” which she starred in earlier this year. Her other notable films include “Lonely Are the Brave,” “Faces,” “Minnie and Moskowitz,” “Opening Night,” “Another Woman,” “Unhook the Stars,” “Hope Floats,” “Playing by Heart,” “The Notebook” and “Broken English.”

Reynolds, a Hollywood icon since she won hearts with her buoyant performance in “Singin’ in the Rain,” embarked on the role of a lifetime as a founding member of the Thalians, a charitable organization conceived and sustained by entertainers to promote awareness and treatment of mental health issues. She served as the group’s president almost continuously from 1957 to 2011, adding numerous terms as board chair and frequently presiding over its annual fundraising gala. Her tireless efforts have enabled the Thalians to contribute millions to the Mental Health Center at Cedars-Sinai and to UCLA’s Operation Mend, which helps military veterans recover from the physical and psychological wounds of war. Reynolds has appeared in more than 40 feature films, including “The Tender Trap,” “A Catered Affair” and “Mother,” and received a 1964 Oscar nomination for her lead performance in “The Unsinkable Molly Brown.”

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.”

ACADEMY REVEALS

2015 STUDENT ACADEMY AWARD® WINNERS

ALL WINNING FILMS NOW ELIGIBLE FOR OSCARS®

LOS ANGELES, CA — The Academy has voted fifteen students as winners of the 42nd Student Academy Awardscompetition. The Academy received a record number of entries this year — 1,686 films from 282 domestic and 93 international colleges and universities — which were voted upon by a record number of Academy members. Past Student Academy Award winners have gone on to receive 47 Oscar® nominations and have won or shared eight awards. Previous winners include Pete Docter, John Lasseter, Spike Lee, Trey Parker and Robert Zemeckis.

The winners are (listed alphabetically by film title):

Alternative

“Chiaroscuro,” Daniel Drummond, Chapman University, California

“Zoe,” ChiHyun Lee, The School of Visual Arts, New York

Animation

“An Object at Rest,” Seth Boyden, California Institute of the Arts

“Soar,” Alyce Tzue, Academy of Art University, San Francisco

“Taking the Plunge,” Nicholas Manfredi and Elizabeth Ku-Herrero, The School of Visual Arts

Documentary

“Boxeadora,” Meg Smaker, Stanford University

“I Married My Family’s Killer,” Emily Kassie, Brown University

“Looking at the Stars,” Alexandre Peralta, University of Southern California

Narrative

“Day One,” Henry Hughes, American Film Institute, California

“Stealth,” Bennett Lasseter, American Film Institute

“This Way Up,” Jeremy Cloe, American Film Institute

Foreign Film

“Everything Will Be Okay…,” Patrick Vollrath, Filmakademie Wien, Austria

“Fidelity,” Ilker Catak, Hamburg Media School, Germany

“The Last Will,” Dustin Loose, Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany

Students will arrive in Los Angeles for a week of industry activities that will culminate in the awards ceremony on Thursday, September 17, at 7:30 p.m., at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. The medal placements – gold, silver and bronze – in the five award categories will be announced at the ceremony.

First-time honors go to Chapman University in the Alternative category and Filmakademie Wien in the Foreign Film competition. Academy members voted the winners from a field of 33 finalists, announced last month.

The 42nd Student Academy Awards ceremony on September 17 is free and open to the public, but advance tickets are required. Tickets may be obtained online at oscars.org today. Any remaining tickets will be made available at the door on the evening of the event. The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills.

The Student Academy Awards were established in 1972 to provide a platform for emerging global talent by creating opportunities within the industry to showcase their work.