Creatures, Monsters Extend Stay at Academy
“It’s Alive! Bringing Animatronic Characters to Life on Film” presents nearly 100 memorable characters including Aslan, Doc Ock, Yoda, Mr. Tinkles, Audrey II, Mighty Joe Young and the flying reindeer from “The Santa Clause 2.”
The exhibition showcases models, maquettes, and animatronic creatures and their mechanisms, accompanied by video clips of the final product. The complementary installation in the Academy’s Grand Lobby Gallery includes 100 concept drawings, storyboards and photographs from workshops and sets, highlighting the complex process of designing and developing animatronic characters.
The films represented in “It’s Alive” include “102 Dalmatians,” “Alien3,” “Alien vs. Predator,” “An American Werewolf in London,” “Beetlejuice,” “Cats & Dogs,” “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” “The Dark Crystal,” “Doctor Dolittle,” “George of the Jungle,” “Ghostbusters,” “Gremlins 2,” “Harry and the Hendersons,” “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” “Labyrinth,” “Little Shop of Horrors,” “Jurassic Park,” “Men in Black II,” “Mighty Joe Young,” “Predator,” “RoboCop 2,” “Short Circuit,” “Snow Dogs,” “Spider-Man 2” and “The Empire Strikes Back.”
“It’s Alive! Bringing Animatronic Characters to Life on Film” will be on display through Sunday, September 10, 2006. The Academy’s galleries are open Tuesday through Friday, 10 a m. to 5 p.m., and weekends, noon to 6 p.m. Admission is free. The Academy will be closed for the Labor Day weekend – Saturday, September 2, through Monday, September 4.
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San Francisco International Film Festival Selected for 3-Year Academy Grant
The San Francisco International Film Festival has become the third major U.S. festival to receive a "secure foundation" grant from the Academy Foundation of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
The festival will receive $50,000 from the Academy in 2007 and $50,000 a year for the next two years, for a total of $150,000.
"With the Academy guaranteeing funds for three years, our hope is that this type of grant will help a festival build a sturdy foundation for a project," said Festival Grants Committee Chair Gale Anne Hurd. "That kind of security will permit a festival to take some chances with programs they might otherwise not be willing to try."
Last year, the Los Angeles Film Festival received this special grant from the Academy and two years ago, the Telluride Film Festival in Colorado was the first to receive the three years of funding.
"Next year we'll take a look at how Telluride and Los Angeles have fared with this funding and see if it's an idea we want to continue in future years," Hurd said.
In addition to these special grants, the Academy's annual festival grants program last year dispensed $300,000 in grants to 24 festivals, said Academy Grants Coordinator Shawn Guthrie, and later this year will allocate another $300,000. Under this annual program, the San Francisco International Film Festival received a $30,000 grant in 2000 and $25,000 grants in 2003 and 2005.
Academy Library to Keep Longer Hours
Beverly Hills, CA — To better serve its numerous patrons, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Margaret Herrick Library is extending its public hours one day a week. Beginning August 15, the library will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesdays.
The longer hours are in response to requests from the library’s users, who indicated in a survey that additional time later in the day would be beneficial, particularly for those who work or attend school on a full-time basis.
“We hope the extended hours enhance the convenience for people who already know about and utilize the library,” said Library Director Linda Harris Mehr. “It would also be wonderful if new users, who might not otherwise be able to take advantage of our resources, would now be able to do so.”
The Margaret Herrick Library is one of the world’s most extensive and comprehensive research collections on the subject of motion pictures. Founded in 1928 as the Research Library and later named after a former Academy librarian and longtime executive director, the Herrick counts among its holdings more than 32,000 books; 1,800 periodical titles; 75,000 screenplays; 200,000 clipping files; 30,000 posters; lobby cards, pressbooks and other advertising ephemera; over 8 million photographs; over 1,000 manuscript and other special collections relating to prominent industry individuals, studios and organizations; sheet music, music scores and sound recordings; production and costume sketches; artifacts; and oral histories.
A valid I.D. is required for entrance to the Herrick and access to materials, which are non-circulating and for on-site reference use only. Hours on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays remain unchanged: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The library is closed on Wednesdays and weekends.
Since 1992, the Margaret Herrick Library has been located at 333 South La Cienega Boulevard in Beverly Hills, in a renovated former water treatment facility that has won national awards for adaptive reuse.
