Turner Classic Movies (TCM) today announced that filmmaker Martin Scorsese will be given the inaugural Robert Osborne Award in recognition of his work as a film preservationist and impassioned classic movie fan. The Robert Osborne Award will be given out annually at the TCM Classic Film Festival to a recipient whose work has helped keep the cultural heritage of classic films alive and thriving for generations to come. The award will be presented on April 26 during opening night of the 2018 TCM Classic Film Festival.
On learning of this auspicious honor, Scorsese had this to say:
“I am truly honored to be the first recipient of the Robert Osborne Award. I started The Film Foundation 28 years ago in order to preserve and share cinema’s history with audiences of the present and the future. Bob and TCM have always been trusted allies in this mission. I always loved watching Bob’s introductions and interviews on TCM because you could immediately feel that this was someone who knew movie history, who wanted to share that knowledge and pass it on, and – most importantly – who truly loved movies. Bob was a true believer in the cinema, so to receive this award in his name means a great deal to me.”
– Martin Scorsese, Recipient of the Robert Osborne Award
Martin Scorsese has been a celebrated director and film preservationist for more than 50 years, making some of the most influential films in cinema history. Five-time nominee for Best Director at the Academy Awards, he won in 2007 for The Departed (2006). In 1990 Scorsese established The Film Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting and preserving motion picture history by working in partnership with archives and studios, the foundation has restored over 800 films, while the World Cinema Project has restored 31 films from 21 countries. The foundation’s free educational curriculum, The Story of Movies, teaches young people about the language and history of film.
For Jennifer Dorian, General Manager of TCM, “Robert was the cornerstone of TCM and his contributions were fundamental in shaping the network into what it is today. Through the creation of the Robert Osborne Award we acknowledge how much he meant to TCM and the impact he had on preserving the love of classic film.”
TCM Primetime Host Ben Mankiewicz, with his own storied history with Hollywood, elaborated on the awarding of the Robert Osborne Award to Martin Scorsese, stating, “In addition to his status as perhaps the definitive filmmaker of his generation, Martin Scorsese possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of film history. And he has turned that passion for movies into a commitment for preservation, working tirelessly to restore and preserve the world’s cinematic heritage. Both Martin and Robert have helped ensure that classic film will continue to be experienced as it was meant to be seen, for years to come.”
For more than 22 years, Robert Osborne served as the primetime host and anchor of TCM, helping millions of viewers discover and enter the world of classic movies, and dedicating his life to preserving and sharing the movies he loved. Embraced by fans around the globe as both a fellow movie lover and an unparalleled film historian, his legacy of devotion to classic films and their ability to inspire will live on through the Robert Osborne award.
_________________________________________________
About the 2018 TCM Classic Film Festival
For the ninth consecutive year, thousands of movie lovers from around the globe will descend upon Hollywood for the TCM Classic Film Festival. The 2018 festival is set to take place Thursday, April 26 – Sunday, April 29, 2018. Over four packed days and nights, attendees will be treated to an extensive lineup of great movies, appearances by legendary stars and filmmakers, fascinating presentations and panel discussions, special events and more.
TCM Primetime host Ben Mankiewicz will serve as official host of the TCM Classic Film Festival. The festival’s official hotel and central gathering point for the ninth consecutive year will be The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, which has a longstanding role in movie history and was the site of the first Academy Awards® ceremony. The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel will also offer special rates for festival attendees. Screenings and events during the festival will be held at the TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX, the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres and the Egyptian Theatre, as well as other Hollywood venues.
The 2018 festival theme is Powerful Words: The Page Onscreen, celebrating the representation of the written word on the silver screen. Writing focuses visions, reflects our feelings and inspires great performances on both sides of the camera. From original screenplays to unique adaptations to portrayals of writers real and imagined, we will celebrate the foundation of great film: the written word.
For more information, tickets and media credentials, please visit http://filmfestival.tcm.com.
