
Your Not-For-Profit Independent Theatre
Coolidge Award Platinum Sponsors![]() |
The Coolidge Award
Tickets for the 2010 Coolidge Award are currently available for purchase!
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS AND VIEW FULL LISTING OF EVENTS The Coolidge Award is an annual celebration honoring a film artist whose body of work is recognized as consistently original and challenging. The category from which the recipient is chosen each year rotates, to reflect the broad range of film arts championed by The Coolidge Corner Theatre throughout its history. MELVIN AND HOWARD: Screening and Panel DiscussionTues, Mar 2 @ 12:00 pm $25 regular/ $15 Students and Seniors A screening of Jonathan Demme's breakthrough film, followed by a 2pm panel discussion featuring Demme and special guests from the cast and crew of MELVIN AND HOWARD Jonathan Demme would later become one of America's premiere directors, with an Oscar for The Silence of the Lambs and numerous nominations to his credit, but it was this sublime 1980 comedy that put him on the Hollywood map. Esteemed critic Pauline Kael called it "an almost flawless act of sympathetic imagination," referring to the movie's semifictional treatment of the true story of Melvin Dummar (played to perfection by Paul LeMat), an average guy whose life was turned upside down when he was made beneficiary of a $156 million will allegedly signed by millionaire Howard Hughes. Demme and Oscar-winning screenwriter Bo Goldman do not concern themselves with the validity of Dummar's claim; they're more interested in showing how Melvin's life is transformed--not necessarily for the better--by the influx of sudden wealth. Melvin doesn't take easily to being rich, and in telling his story Melvin and Howard becomes a true American classic, guaranteed to stand the test of time and improve with age like John Ford's The Grapes of Wrath. NEIL YOUNG TRUNK SHOWMon, Mar 1 @ 8:00 pm $25 All Seats BOSTON PREMIERE! Introduction and Q&A with Jonathan Demme Described by Demme as the “antidote” to last year’s Heart of Gold, this spontaneous and raw time capsule, shot during two nights of the Chrome Dreams II tour at the Tower Theater in Pennsylvania, is Neil Young in his natural element: unleashed, unrestrained, uninhibited, and very loud.
dir. Jonathan Demme, documentary, USA, 2009; 1h12m THE AGRONOMIST: Coolidge Award Benefit Screening for HaitiMon, Mar 1 @ 2:00 pm $25, All proceeds to benefit Partners in Health. Screening In Conjunction With the 2010 Coolidge Award Program Honoring Jonathan Demme. Please join us for a special benefit screening of Jonathan Demme’s moving documentary The Agronomist on Monday, March 1 at 2:00 pm. The screening will be introduced by Jonathan Demme, who will be here to accept the 2010 Coolidge Award and participate in related festivities. Proceeds from the screening will go to support Haiti earthquake relief efforts through the on-the-ground non-profit organization Partners in Health, co-founded by Paul Farmer, subject of Tracy Kidder's 2003 book Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, A Man Who Would Cure the World. As an incentive to encourage early ticket sales, a group of Coolidge supporters will donate a matching $3,500 to the Haiti relief efforts towards the first 140 tickets sold by February 7. Those donations, combined with the advance ticket sales to date, will be sent immediately to Partners in Health in early February. The Agronomist is Jonathan Demme’s 2003 documentary about the life and work of Jean Dominique, human rights activist and host of the independent radio station Radio Haiti-Inter. His broadcasts throughout the early 1970s were a bold break from Haiti’s predominant government-run media, offering enlightening stories, in the native language of Creole, about global issues to the people of the island. Dominique was forced to temporarily leave Haiti twice, in the early ‘80s and again the early ‘90s, but remained an outspoken advocate for freedom of the press and the Haitian community. In 2000, after returning to his country, he was assassinated outside the radio station in Port-au-Prince. The film features a stunning soundtrack by Grammy-Award winning musician Wyclef Jean, who is also a social entrepreneur. Partners in Health works to bring modern medical care to poor communities in nine countries around the world. Their work has three goals: to care for patients, to alleviate the root causes of disease in their communities, and to share lessons learned around the world. Based in Boston, the organization employs over 11,000 people worldwide, including doctors, nurses, and community health workers. Partners in Health has been working on the ground in Haiti for over 20 years. Visit: Stand With Haiti Director Jonathan Demme to receive 2010 Coolidge AwardSave the date! The 2010 Coolidge Award will take place March 1 - 2, 2010. The Coolidge Corner Theatre announces internationally acclaimed director Jonathan Demme as the recipient of the 2010 Coolidge Award, to be celebrated March 1-2. Demme will arrive in Brookline to accept the honor and to participate in related festivities including special tributes from industry colleagues and a panel discussion. Selected screenings from his filmography are being scheduled throughout February. Jonathan Demme began his film career in the early 1970s working with producer Roger Corman. Throughout that decade he is credited as a co-writer and producer for several of Corman’s productions and as director of three films (Caged Heat, Crazy Mama and Fighting Mad). In 1980 Demme directed Melvin and Howard and received widespread critical acclaim. Throughout the ‘80s he went on to direct movies celebrating both critical and commercial success, including Swing Shift, Something Wild and Married to the Mob. During that same period he also directed the groundbreaking Talking Heads concert film Stop Making Sense and the Spaulding Grey performance film Swimming to Cambodia. In 1991 Demme won the Academy Award for Best Director (Silence of the Lambs), which also swept the Oscars that year taking all the major categories – Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Actress and Best Actor. Two years later he released Philadelphia, which won star Tom Hanks the Best Actor Oscar. His feature films also include the 2004 remake of The Manchurian Candidate and Rachel Getting Married (2008). Throughout his prolific film career, Jonathan Demme has also established himself as a committed documentary filmmaker. Off of the creative success of Stop Making Sense and Swimming to Cambodia, Demme went on to make Haiti: Dreams of Democracy, The Agronomist, Neil Young: Heart of Gold, and Jimmy Carter Man From Plains. The most recent full-length collaboration, Neil Young Trunk Show, premiered at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival and will be released later this year. The annual Coolidge Award, recognizing a selected film artist whose work advances the spirit of original and challenging cinema, was launched in 2004. Previous honorees are animators The Quay Brothers in 2009 (Street of Crocodiles, Institute Benjamenta), film producer Jeremy Thomas in 2008 (Sexy Beast, The Last Emperor, The Great Rock and Roll Swindle), film editor Thelma Schoonmaker in 2007 (Raging Bull, Goodfellas, The Departed), actress Meryl Streep in 2006 (Sophie’s Choice, Silkwood, The Devil Wears Prada), Italian cinematographer Vittorio Storaro in 2005 (Apocalypse Now, The Conformist, Reds) and Chinese director Zhang Yimou in 2004 (Hero, The House of Flying Daggers, Raise the Red Lantern). 2009 Coolidge Award Wrap-upThe 6th annual Coolidge Award allowed our audiences to double their pleasure! With Animation as the selected category for this year’s award, the planning committee was unanimous in the vote to choose our recipient. Without hesitation, the Quay Brothers, masters of exquisitely subjective puppet animation films, were the clear favorites, exemplifying the spirit of the Award – work that is consistently challenging and original. The QB, identical twins, born in Philadelphia but living and working in London for 30 years, were gracious in their immediate acceptance of the invitation. Plans were made to keep the celebration events scheduled for May 5-7, in line with their low-key, informal preferences. Too modest to feel they warranted a gala evening of tributes from their stellar peers, they expressed their desire to accept the award during events focused on conversation with colleagues such as art critic and academic, Thyrza Nichols Goodeve, literature professor David Spolum, and long-time collaborator, editor and sound designer, Larry Sider. Audience participation was a key feature on their wish list. Our savvy, cultured, and inquisitive Coolidge community was happy to meet these artistic icons, asking thoughtful questions that furthered our understanding of the Quays’ work and process. Kicking off on May 5th,, a welcome reception in honor of the Quay Brothers was held, celebrating their Dormitorium exhibition of puppet decors miniature film sets (running through May 21), held at the Fourth Wall Project Gallery on Brookline Avenue. A festive mood was created by our talented staff and volunteers, and enjoyed by all our guests. The same delightful atmosphere prevailed over the next two days of Award events at the Coolidge. More details and photos of all the Quay Brothers events appearing on this site soon! 2008 Jeremy Thomas
But which producer? We wanted someone whose films we would and have shown at the Coolidge, someone who is independent, as we are, someone who has impeccable taste, as we do, who is a master at bringing together the best teams of people to create memorable film experiences, as we do, and who perfectly balances the creative forces needed to make remarkable movies with the intelligent risk-taking and solid business acumen to stay solvent and strong. In short, we wanted a film producer who embodies the spirit of the Coolidge. And we found him! Our fifth annual Coolidge Award recipient, veteran British film producer Jeremy Thomas graciously arranged to fly over from Europe, where he was in production on the new Wim Wenders film, The Palermo Shooting, starring Dennis Hopper, Lou Reed, and Patti Smith.
The Coolidge Award program kicked off again this year with a month-long retrospective screening series. Our audiences were thrilled to see big screen presentations from this amazing filmography. The Last Emperor (which one 9 Academy Awards, including Best Picture for Jeremy Thomas), Bad Timing (the first film on which Jeremy collaborated with director Nicolas Roeg), Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (set in a WW2 prison of war camp, starring David Bowie and Japanese music star, Ryuichi Sakamoto), The Great Rock ‘N’Roll Swindle (Julien Temple’s raucous depiction of the seminal British punk band, The Sex Pistols), and Sexy Beast (a dazzling black comedy/brilliant character study/heist film with jaw-dropping performances by Ben Kingsley and Ray Winstone). The official Coolidge Award events took place April 16, 17. Jeremy Thomas arrived with his son, Jack, a talent agent in London, who carries on the long family tradition as movie industry insider. Joining them on the flight was ground-breaking director Nicolas Roeg (Performance, Walkabout, Don’t Look Now, Eureka, Insignificance, The Witches). Though we’ve experienced wacky New England weather patterns in past Coolidge Award years –two years in a row of snow in April, this year, the gods were smiling on us. Maybe they took pity on a planeload of Brits who live in a beautiful country but one with a perpetually damp climate... this year, every day boasted perfectly warm and sunny spring weather.
Letters were read from colleagues who were unable to attend the event due to schedule conflicts, including a great actor and friend of Jeremy’s since they were teenagers, John Hurt. Sony Pictures Classics executives Michael Barker and Tom Bernard sent a quirky humorous video salute to Jeremy, which was screened to the audience’s amusement. Nick Paleologos, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Film Office, long-time admirer of the Coolidge, once again bestowed the marquee-shaped Coolidge Award on Jeremy at the event’s finale. Jeremy’s acceptance speech was thoughtful, witty, and heartfelt. The evening felt warm and intimate, and very much like a celebration of someone whose genuine passion for cinema has contributed to the expansion of the art form,
See you at the movies! 2007 Thelma Schoonmaker
Our fourth annual Coolidge Award recipient, veteran film editor Thelma Schoonmaker, took Boston by storm. Everyone lucky enough to have tickets to the events that took place at the Coolidge on April 11th and 12th got a crash course in the collaboration process of a gifted editor with her director, screenwriter, composer, sound designer, and special effects department, that is necessary to shape a film. In Thelma's case, of course, we're not talking about any flash-in-the-panning-shot movies, but real treasures like Raging Bull, GoodFellas, The Aviator, and The Departed. She's worked closely with Martin Scorsese for 40 years and their creative partnership has given us some of the greatest movie moments in American cinema. The Coolidge Award program kicked off again this year with a month-long retrospective screening series. Starting in March, we showed The Aviator, GoodFellas, The King of Comedy, and Raging Bull on the giant screen and a guest speaker introduced each film. Letters were read from colleagues who were unable to attend due to scheduling conflicts. Those sending their good wishes were actors Daniel Day Lewis, Lorraine Bracco, and Leonardo DiCaprio, as well as screenwriters Nicholas Pileggi and Jay Cocks. Thelma was visibly moved to hear such heartfelt tributes. Nick Paleologos, newly appointed Executive Director of the Massachusetts Film Office, and long-time fan of the Coolidge, bestowed the marquee-shaped Coolidge Award on Thelma at the event's finale. Her acceptance speech was gracious, warm, and eloquent. She made a point, as previous Coolidge Award recipients have done, of encouraging people to support independent theaters like the Coolidge and that we should count ourselves lucky to be able to see cinematic work of high quality from around the world in so beautiful a theater. The packed audience for the 2:00 pm Master Class was overjoyed to experience Thelma's tour-de-force, consisting of clips that she put together herself, commentary and a generous question-and-answer session. There's no question -- Thelma's visit to the Coolidge inspired us all with her abiding passion for cinema. Now we all know a little more about what it takes to create it. For those of us on the board and staff of the Coolidge, it was so gratifying to be able to provide this opportunity to entertain, educate and build community - around film. We're very thankful to all those who helped support the Coolidge Award program this year. We're looking forward to planning next year's program and in the meanwhile, rest assured we're looking after your cinematic well-being. See you at the movies! OSCAR WINNER THELMA SCHOONMAKER: SCREENINGS SCHEDULED IN MARCH/APRILFor Immediate Release: March 13, 2007 COOLIDGE CORNER THEATRE HONORS THE FILM WORK OF OSCAR WINNER THELMA SCHOONMAKER: SCREENINGS SCHEDULED IN MARCH/APRIL SCHOONMAKER ARRIVES IN BOSTON TO ACCEPT COOLIDGE AWARD AND PARTICIPATE IN FESTIVITIES APRIL 11-12 Boston, MA - The Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline, Massachusetts, has planned selected screenings showcasing the work of three-time Oscar winning film editor Thelma Schoonmaker. Schoonmaker will be the recipient of the fourth annual Coolidge Award, honoring a selected film artist whose work advances the spirit of original and challenging filmmaking. Schoonmaker, who last month won her third Oscar for The Departed and is director Martin Scorsese's longtime collaborator, is scheduled to arrive in Boston to accept the honor at a special ceremony on Wednesday, April 11 at 8:00 pm. The gala celebration will include testimonials from colleagues including screenwriter William Monahan (who also received an Oscar last month for The Departed), music composer Howard Shore (The Departed, Lord of the Rings, The Aviator), Rolling Stone critic Peter Travers and others to be announced shortly. Other highlights of the Gala Award Ceremony will include selected film clips from Schoonmaker's body of work and live musical performances. The ceremony will culminate with the presentation of the award to Schoonmaker. While in Boston, Schoonmaker and others will participate in related festivities. On Thursday, April 12 at 2:00 pm, the Coolidge has programmed a master class in editing, giving participants the opportunity to interact with Schoonmaker as she shares her insights into the editing process. Later that evening the Coolidge screens The Departed at 7:00 pm, followed by a panel discussion on the Boston-shot film that brought Schoonmaker her third Oscar win, Scorsese his first Best Director nod and received this year's coveted Best Film spotlight. Schoonmaker will be joined by creative collaborators William Monahan, Howard Shore and others as they answer audience questions and engage on the multi-faceted process of bringing a film from an idea to the page to the screen. Moderating the panel will be Peter Travers. The ticket admission price is $20 general public/$15 for Coolidge Members and includes both the screening and the panel discussion. In anticipation of Schoonmaker's arrival, the Coolidge has programmed four additional screenings of her work with live introductions from renowned local personalities. Moviegoers can indulge in her distinctive on-screen achievements throughout consecutive Tuesdays in late March and early April when the Coolidge unspools highlights from her career in its beautifully restored 600-seat Movie House I, on the giant screen. It all begins on Tuesday, March 20 with a screening of the 2004 film The Aviator, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio and earned Schoonmaker her second Oscar. That evening's screening will be introduced by Peter W. Young, a retired USAF Colonel and Senior Lecturer of Aeronautics at MIT. On Tuesday, March 27 Marianne Leone Cooper, writer and actress who has appeared in The Sopranos, introduces the 1990 Goodfellas, starring Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, and Joe Pesci. On Tuesday, April 3 the Coolidge presents the hysterical The King of Comedy, introduced that evening by comedian and activist Jimmy Tingle and starring Robert DeNiro, Jerry Lewis and Sandra Bernhard. Finally, on April 10 the Coolidge honors Schoonmaker's first Oscar-winning achievement with a screening of Raging Bull, one of the most distinctive editing achievements in the history of cinema. The film, also starring De Niro, will be introduced by radio host and newspaper columnist Mike Barnicle. All programs are open to the public and admission to each Tuesday evening screening is $9.50 general public/$6.50 Coolidge Members, tickets now available. The complete line-up of events, screenings and ticket information for the Coolidge Award Ceremony honoring Thelma Schoonmaker is posted with updates on the Theatre's website, www.coolidge.org. People are encouraged to buy tickets to the Award Ceremony, master class, and panel discussion in advance, which will be available on March 24 to Coolidge Members and on March 25 to the general public at the theatre box office. Previous honorees of the Coolidge Award are actress Meryl Streep in 2006 (Sophie's Choice, Silkwood, The Devil Wears Prada), Italian cinematographer Vittorio Storaro in 2005 (Apocalypse Now, The Conformist, Reds), and Chinese director Zhang Yimou in 2004 (Hero, The House of Flying Daggers, Raise the Red Lantern). The inspiration for the annual Coolidge Award comes from a continued commitment to celebrate bold filmmaking and a recognition of the Coolidge's role in building audiences for this work. The focus of the award rotates annually to highlight the many categories of films that the Coolidge has championed over the years in its mission to showcase high quality and diverse programming. The Coolidge Award 2007 is made possible by the generous support of the Patricia Larsen Foundation, Scott Rosenberg, Susan and Robert Stoller, Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, The Harlyn Foundation, Elizabeth Driehaus, LEF New England, Chobee Hoy Real Estate, Inc., Stoltze Design, Veronique-Longwood Events, The Eliot Hotel, MovieMaker Magazine, Media Networks, Inc. and Massachusetts Cultural Council. Additional support continues to grow from numerous individuals, sponsors and community-based businesses. More details about the Coolidge Award festivities will be announced in the coming weeks. The Coolidge Corner Theatre is located at 290 Harvard Street in the heart of Coolidge Corner, Brookline, Massachusetts. For information on programming, call 617-734-2500, or visit the website at www.coolidge.org. CONGRATULATIONS THELMA!The Coolidge Corner Theatre would like to congratulate this year's Coolidge Award recipient Thelma Schoonmaker on her third Academy Award for Film Editing for THE DEPARTED. The film earned three other Oscars: Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Directing, and Best Picture. To learn more about Ms. Schoonmaker, her work on THE DEPARTED, and her win, click here! CONGRATULATIONS THELMA SCHOONMAKER & MERYL STREEP!The Coolidge Corner Theatre would like to offer its congratulations to Thelma Schoonmaker and Meryl Streep, who were nominated Tuesday, January 23 for achievement in film editing (The Departed) and for a performance by an actress in a leading role (The Devil Wears Prada), respectively. Ms. Schoonmaker will be this year's Coolidge Award's recipient which will be celebrated in April and Ms. Streep was the recipient of the Coolidge Award last spring. The 79th Annual Academy Awards airs Sunday, February 25 at 7:30 pm. Previous Academy Award nominations and wins for our Coolidge Award Honorees include: Thelma Schoonmaker, Editor:
Vittorio Storaro, Cinematographer:
|