The Coolidge Corner Theatre

Press Contact: Marianne Lampke
marianne [at] beaconcinema [dot] com
617-628-8777

ACADEMY AWARD-WINNING FILM EDITOR THELMA SCHOONMAKER

TO RECEIVE COOLIDGE AWARD IN APRIL

HISTORIC COOLIDGE CORNER THEATRE'S ANNUAL CEREMONY

HONORS ORIGINAL AND OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTIONS TO CINEMA

Boston, MA - The Coolidge Corner Theatre announces two-time Academy Award-winning film editor Thelma Schoonmaker as the recipient of the 2007 Coolidge Award, to be celebrated this coming April. Schoonmaker has worked extensively with director Martin Scorsese and won two Oscar awards for Raging Bull (1980) and The Aviator (2004). Her most recent achievement is The Departed, also directed by Scorsese and shot in Boston. The film opens nationwide this Friday, October 6. 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 Chinese director Zhang Yimou in 2004 (Hero, The House of Flying Daggers, Raise the Red Lantern), Italian cinematographer Vittorio Storaro in 2005 (Apocalypse Now, The Conformist, Reds), and actress Meryl Streep (Sophie's Choice, Silkwood, The Devil Wears Prada) this past year. Schoonmaker is scheduled to arrive in Boston to accept the honor in April and to participate in related festivities. The celebration will include tributes from colleagues, panel discussions related to her work, and selected screenings from her filmography.

Thelma Schoonmaker is recognized worldwide for her extraordinary contribution to cinema and distinctive editing talents. She began her career in the early 1960s while taking a summer editing class at New York University. During that period she met Martin Scorsese, who was looking for someone to help him edit his student film. This began a collaboration that has lasted over 40 years. In 1984 Schoonmaker married British director Michael Powell. They were together until his death in 1990 and she is currently committed to many projects promoting and preserving Powell's legacy in cinema. In addition to The Departed and Raging Bull, Schoonmaker'­s credits include The Last Temptation of Christ, Cape Fear, Goodfellas, The King of Comedy, Woodstock, Grace of My Heart, Michael Jackson'­s Bad video and many others. She is a graduate of Cornell University, was nominated for five Academy Awards in addition to winning two, and has been celebrated worldwide at numerous festivals.

The Coolidge Corner Theatre is one of the nation's few independently operated movie theaters, run by the not-for-profit Coolidge Corner Theatre Foundation. Over the past several years, the theater has won numerous awards and special acknowledgements, most notably for a successful capital campaign supporting upgrades, renovations and a stunning restoration to the theater'­s original Art Deco detail. The theater is renowned as one of the most successful independent movie-houses in the world and continues a rich tradition of independent film exhibition. The annual Coolidge Award represents a continued commitment to celebrate bold contributions to cinema and a recognition of the theater's role in building audiences for this important work.

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, Elizabeth Driehaus, LEF New England, Chobee Hoy Real Estate, Inc., and Massachusetts Cultural Council. Additional support continues to grow from numerous individuals, sponsors and community-based businesses. For Coolidge Award Sponsorship opportunities, please contact Ed MacLean (emaclean [at] verizon [dot] net). More details about the Coolidge Award festivities will be announced in the coming months.