FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JOE BERLINGER AND BRUCE SINOFSKY HONORED AT
AFI-DISCOVERY CHANNEL SILVERDOCS CHARLES GUGGENHEIM SYMPOSIUM
Past Honorees Include Martin Scorsese, Spike Lee, Barbara Kopple
Silver Spring, MD, May 14, 2012 – AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs Documentary Festival, the American Film Institute’s annual recognition of excellence in documentary film, announced that it will honor Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky on June 19, 2012, at its Charles Guggenheim Symposium for their collective and individual contributions to the documentary genre. The symposium, named after the late, four-time Academy Award winner Charles Guggenheim, honors filmmakers who have mastered the power of documentary and inspire audiences with powerful explorations of the human experience. AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs – celebrating its 10th year in 2012 – will take place June 18-24 at the historic AFI Silver Theatre and surrounding venues.
Since their award-winning BRO THER’S KEEPER (1992), Berlinger and Sinofsky have been leading voices in American nonfiction cinema. O ver the course of their two decades of work, the filmmakers have demonstrated both the power of documentary to transform our vision of the world, and the world’s response to their vision. Among their landmark films are PARADISE LO ST: THE CHILD MURDERS AT RO BIN HO O D HILLS (1996), PARADISE LO ST 2: REVELATIO NS (2000), METALLICA: SO ME KIND O F MO NSTER (2004), the Academy Award nominated PARADISE LOST 3: PURGATORY (2011) and Berlinger’s UNDER AFRICAN SKIES (2012), which is now in distribution and focuses on Paul Simon’s return to South Africa to explore the journey of his 1986 Grammy Award winning “Graceland” album.
“Few filmmakers can compare to Berlinger and Sinofsky for their tenacious and unrelenting commitment to raw truth,” said Sky Sitney, Festival Director. “They use the documentary form to tear away the veil of accepted social platitudes, providing a new point of entry into the world of vulnerable musical performers, those psychologically discriminated against and the wrongfully incarcerated. These are filmmakers who persistently utilize the power of the cinematic image until change is dramatically effected in the real world.”
The Guggenheim Symposium at AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs will include excerpts from the honorees’ body of work. Following the screening, Berlinger and Sinofsky will be joined by Indiewire Co-Founder and Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Eugene Hernandez, and other special guests, to engage in a discussion of Berlinger and Sinofsky’s career.
Past Guggenheim honorees include Barbara Kopple, who was joined on stage by Albert Maysles in 2004; Martin Scorsese, who engaged in conversation with Jim Jarmusch in 2006; Jonathan Demme in 2007; Spike Lee in 2008; Albert Maysles, who was joined by artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude in 2009; Frederick Wiseman, who engaged in a conversation with Davis Guggenheim in 2010; and Chris Hegedus and Donn Alan (D A) Pennebaker, who were joined by Senator Al Franken last year.
American Airlines, the official airline of AFI, is a proud sponsor of AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs.
About AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs
AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs Documentary Festival is a seven-day internationally recognized event that honors excellence in filmmaking, supports the diverse voices and free expression of independent storytellers and celebrates the power of documentary to improve our understanding of the world. Celebrating its tenth edition this year, the 2012 festival runs June 18-24 at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in the Washington, DC area, attracting over 27,000 documentary enthusiasts and motion picture arts professionals from around the world. AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs’ five-day International Documentary Conference presents thought-provoking presentations and engages a diverse group of over 1,000 filmmakers and industry leaders concerned with the future of non-fiction storytelling, production and distribution. For more information, go to Silverdocs.com.
About the American Film Institute
AFI is America’s promise to preserve the history of the motion picture, to honor the artists and their work and to educate the next generation of storytellers. AFI provides leadership in film, television and digital media and is dedicated to initiatives that engage the past, the present and the future of the moving image arts.
AFI preserves the legacy of America’s film heritage for future generations through the AFI Archive, comprised of rare footage from across the history of the moving image and the AFI Catalog of Feature Films, an authoritative record of American films from 1893 to the present.
AFI honors the artists and their work through a variety of annual programs and special events, including the AFI Life Achievement Award and AFI Awards. Celebrating its 40th year in 2012, the AFI Life Achievement Award has remained the highest honor for a career in film while AFI Awards, the Institute’s almanac for the 21st century, honors the most outstanding motion pictures and television programs of the year. AFI’s 100 Years… 100 Movies television events and movie reference lists have introduced and reintroduced classic American movies to millions of film lovers. And as the largest nonprofit exhibitor in the United States, AFI offers film enthusiasts a variety of events throughout the year, including AFI Fest presented by Audi, the Institute’s annual celebration of excellence in global cinema; AFIDiscovery Channel Silverdocs, the largest documentary festival in the U.S., celebrating its 10th edition this year; and year-round programming at the AFI Silver Theatre in the Washington, DC area.
AFI educates the next generation of storytellers at its world-renowned AFI Conservatory, named the #1 film school in the world by The Hollywood Reporter for the quality of its instructors and speakers, and its “glittering parade of alumni.” AFI Conservatory offers a two-year Master of Fine Arts degree in six filmmaking disciplines:
Cinematography, Directing, Editing, Producing, Production Design and Screenwriting. Aspiring artists learn from the masters in a collaborative, hands-on production environment with an emphasis on storytelling.
For more information about AFI, visit AFI.com or connect with AFI at twitter.com/AmericanFilm, facebook.com/AmericanFilmInstitute and youtube.com/ AFI.
About Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is the world’s #1 nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.5 billion cumulative subscribers in over 200 countries and territories. Discovery is dedicated to satisfying curiosity through more than 140 worldwide television networks, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science and Investigation Discovery, as well as US joint venture networks O WN: O prah Winfrey Network, The Hub and 3net, the first 24-hour 3D network. Discovery also is a leading provider of educational products and services to schools and owns and operates a diversified portfolio of digital media services, including HowStuffWorks.com. For more information, please visit www.discoverycommunications.com.
