Free Screenings of 81st Academy Award Nominees
Press Release · Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Press Release
February 4, 2009

Free Screenings of 81st Academy Award® Nominees at the National Archives

Highlighting Four Categories, February 18-22, 2009

Washington, DC…The National Archives will host free screenings of the 81st Academy Award® nominees in four categories - Documentary Feature, Documentary Short Subject, Live Action Short Film, and Animated Short Film - in its William G. McGowan Theater from Wednesday, February 18, through Sunday, February 22, 2009. This year marks the fifth consecutive year these screenings have been hosted by the National Archives. 

The screenings are the first in a series of three programs presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in partnership with The Charles Guggenheim Center for the Documentary Film at the National Archives, and the Foundation for the National Archives.

This year, the Documentary Feature nominee screenings will be hosted by actress, critic and cultural commentator Jennice Fuentes.  Ms. Fuentes is a panelist on WETA’s Around Town, as well as a guest host and frequent guest on NPR/WAMU's live, two-hour radio program, The Kojo Nmandi Show.

Seating for all screenings will be on a first-come, first-serve basis. No reservations will be accepted. Free tickets will be distributed at the National Archives Special Events entrance on Constitution Avenue beginning 60 minutes prior to the start time. You must be present to receive a ticket. Theater doors will open 30 minutes prior to start time. The saving of seats is strictly prohibited.

The William G. McGowan Theater is located in the National Archives Building in Washington, DC. Metro accessible on Yellow or Green lines, Archives/Navy Memorial station. The public should use the Special Events entrance on Constitution Avenue and 7th Street, NW. To verify the date and times of the programs, call the National Archives Public Programs Line at: (202) 357-5000, or view the Calendar of Events.

Screening Schedule (Subject to print availability)

Documentary Feature Nominees

Wednesday, February 18, 7:00 p.m.
Man on Wire (Magnolia Pictures)
A Wall to Wall in association with Red Box Film Production
James Marsh and Simon Chinn
(94 minutes, rated PG-13)

Thursday, February 19, 7:00 p.m.
The Betrayal (Nerakhoon) (Cinema Guild)
A Pandinlao Films Production
Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath
(96 minutes, unrated)

Friday, February 20, 7:00 p.m.
Encounters at the End of the World (THINKFilm and Image Entertainment)
A Creative Differences Production
Werner Herzog and Henry Kaiser
(99 minutes, rated G)

Saturday, February 21, 7:00 p.m.
Trouble the Water (Zeitgeist Films)
An Elsewhere Films Production
Tia Lessin and Carl Deal
(90 minutes, unrated)

Sunday, February 22, 4:00 p.m.
The Garden
A Black Valley Films Production
Scott Hamilton Kennedy
(80 minutes, unrated)

Live Action Short Film Nominees
Saturday, February 21, noon.

Auf Der Strecke (On the Line) (Hamburg Shortfilmagency)
An Academy of Media Arts Cologne Production
Reto Caffi
Manon on the Asphalt (La Luna Productions)
A La Luna Production
Elizabeth Marre and Olivier Pont
New Boy (Network Ireland Television)
A Zanzibar Films Production
Steph Green and Tamara Anghie
The Pig
An M & M Production
Tivi Magnusson and Dorte Høgh
Spielzeugland (Toyland)
A Mephisto Film Production
Jochen Alexander Freydank

Animated Short Film Nominees
Saturday, February 21, 3:30 p.m.

La Maison en Petits Cubes
A Robot Communications Production
Kunio Kato
Lavatory - Lovestory
A Melnitsa Animation Studio and CTB Film Company Production
Konstantin Bronzit
Oktapodi (Talantis Films)
A Gobelins, L’école de l’image Production
Emud Mokhberi and Thierry Marchand
Presto (Walt Disney)
A Pixar Animation Studios Production
Doug Sweetland
This Way Up
A Nexus Production
Alan Smith and Adam Foulkes

Total Running Time: 40 minutes.

Documentary Short Subject Nominees
Sunday, February 22, noon.

The Conscience of Nhem En
A Farallon Films Production
Steven Okazaki
The Final Inch
Vermilion Films in association with Google.org
Irene Taylor Brodsky and Tom Grant
Smile Pinki
A Principe Production
Megan Mylan
The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306
A Rock Paper Scissors Production
Adam Pertofsky and Margaret Hyde

Total Running Time: 137 minutes.

Note: Screenings on Sunday, February 22 will conclude prior to 8 p.m., when the 81st Academy Awards will be broadcast live on the ABC Television Network.

In a related program beginning February 13, National Geographic will present the five films nominated in the Foreign Language Film category. Screenings will be held in the Gilbert H. Grosvenor Auditorium at the organization’s headquarters building. Visit www.nglive.org for more information.

The Charles Guggenheim Center for the Documentary Film at the National Archives was established in 2004 in honor of four-time Oscar® winner and past president of the Foundation for the National Archives Charles Guggenheim. The Center’s mission is to advance public understanding of the process, challenges, and social impact of documentary filmmaking and to promote the education of young people and professionals. The Center is both a living legacy of an internationally acclaimed producer and director and an extension of America's premier resource for documentary film research. Charles Guggenheim’s Oscar for the 1964 film, Nine From Little Rock, one of four he was awarded during his career, is on permanent display outside the National Archives’ William G. McGowan Theater.

The Foundation for the National Archives
The Foundation for the National Archives is a non-profit organization committed to creating public awareness of the importance of the National Archives as a vital resource in the American democracy.  The Foundation was created in 1992 to support the Archivist of the United States in developing programs, technology, projects, and materials that introduce and interpret the Archives' collection for the American people and for people around the world.  The National Archives Experience is made possible by a public/private partnership between the National Archives and Records Administration and the Foundation for the National Archives, which is working as the private sector partner to support the creation of these new exhibitions and educational programs and resources. The Foundation is generating financial and creative support from individuals and corporations to provide this extensive outreach, which has not been mandated by Congress.

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.

# # #

For more information, contact the National Archives Public Affairs staff at 202-357-5300.

09-48

Top of Page