The Coolidge Corner Theatre

For 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.
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