Professional Motion Picture Production and Distribution NEWS

Hearts and Minds (1974) Photo: Oscars.org

The documentary film will be the subject of an annual event presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences beginning next month. The inaugural John Huston Lecture on Documentary Film, named in honor of the late Oscar-winning writer-director, will present its first program, titled "Documentaries of Dissent," on Wednesday, November 10, at 7:30 p.m. in the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan will host the evening, which will include discussions with noted documentary filmmakers. Participants scheduled to appear include Peter Davis, producer of the 1968 Oscar-winning documentary feature "Hearts and Minds;" Penelope Spheeris, producer-director of the 1981 documentary "The Decline of Western Civilization" and two subsequent sequels; Rob Epstein, producer-director of two Oscar-winning documentary features, "The Times of Harvey Milk," which won in 1984, and "Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt," which won in 1989, and Barbara Trent, producer-director of "The Panama Deception," which won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature of 1992.

Panelists will discuss the challenges faced when making a documentary film as well as how the genre has changed over the years. In addition to viewing film clips, the audience will participate in open discussion with these accomplished filmmakers.

The documentary has long been an important part of cinema culture, offering filmmakers a non-fiction means to express an alternative, and oftentimes contentious, point of view on a topical issue. "Documentaries of Dissent" will examine some of these controversial films from the early 1940s through the 1990s.

The annual lecture was named in honor of Huston, whose 14 Academy Award� nominations include wins for directing and writing "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre." Huston's documentary work while in the Army Signal Corps during World War II produced three unique yet controversial films, "Report from the Aleutians " (1943), "The Battle of San Pietro" (1944) and "Let There Be Light" (1946). "The Battle of San Pietro" was not released publicly until 1945, when General George Marshall removed its "classified" status. Clips from this film will be shown during the evening's program.

A second installment of "Documentaries of Dissent" will be held in 2005 and will focus on a selection of theatrical documentaries released in 2004 that have played a role in the current debates over political and social issues.

The Huston Lecture is the sixth of the Academy's annually scheduled lectures, joining the Marvin Borowsky Lecture on Screenwriting, the George Pal Lecture on Fantasy in Film, the Jack Oakie Lecture on Comedy in Film, the Marc Davis Lecture on Animation and the George Stevens Lecture on Directing.

Tickets for "Documentaries of Dissent" are $5 each for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students. Tickets may be purchased by mail, in person at the Academy during regular business hours, or, pending availability, the night of the event when the doors open at 7 p.m. The Academy is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. For more information, call (310) 247-3600.

Source: http://www.oscars.org