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Turner Classic Movies (TCM)<\/b>\u00a0today announced that filmmaker\u00a0Martin Scorsese\u00a0<\/b>will be given the inaugural\u00a0Robert Osborne Award<\/b>\u00a0in 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.\u00a0The award will be presented on\u00a0April 26 during opening night of the 2018 TCM Classic Film Festival<\/b>.<\/p>\n
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On learning of this auspicious honor, Scorsese had this to say:<\/p>\n
\u201cI am truly honored to be the first recipient of the Robert Osborne Award.\u00a0 I started The Film Foundation 28 years ago in order to preserve and share cinema\u2019s 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\u2019s 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 \u2013 most importantly \u2013 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2013 Martin Scorsese, Recipient of the Robert Osborne Award<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
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.\u00a0Five-time nominee for Best Director at the Academy Awards, he won in 2007 for\u00a0The Departed<\/i>\u00a0(2006). In 1990 Scorsese established\u00a0The Film Foundation,<\/i>\u00a0a 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.<\/p>\n
For Jennifer Dorian, General Manager of TCM, \u201cRobert 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\u00a0how much he meant to TCM and the impact he had on preserving the love of classic film.”<\/p>\n
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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,\u00a0\u201cIn 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\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
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,\u00a0his legacy of devotion to classic films and their ability to inspire will live on through the Robert Osborne award.<\/p>\n