Jonathan Demme Wins Coolidge Award

Annual Film Award To Be Presented March 1&2

By: Mark Favermann - Jan 28, 2010

Hannibal Lechter is one of the creepiest characters ever put on the screen. The actor who played him, Sir Anthony Hopkins, is certainly primarily responsible for this great characterization. But the director who facilitated the actor's portrayal, who brought the performance out of the actor,was responsible as well. That was Oscar winning director Jonathan Demme. He is an auteur who goes back and forth between documentary films and theatrical ones.

Last month, the Coolidge Corner Theatre announced that this year's Coolidge Award festivities will honor film director Jonathan Demme. The March 1-2 event will include a variety of related programs including Demme's soon to be released Neil Young Trunk Show, a benefit screening of the 2003 Haitian documentary The Agronomist with proceeds going to Haitian relief, and a screening and panel discussion of Melvin and Howard (1980) as well as the award ceremony itself on March 2.

Jonathan Demme will attend all the events. Notable colleagues and friends will participate in various programs. Actress and screenwriter Jenny Lumet (Rachel Getting Married) will host the award ceremony. Others will be announced in the next few weeks

The Coolidge has programmed retrospective screenings of Demme's works throughout February and March. This begins on Tuesdat, February 16 and runs consecutive Tuesdays through March 16. It includes the Talking Heads concert film Stop Making Sense (Feb. 16), The Silence of the Lambs (Feb. 23), Something Wild (March 8) and Rachel Getting Married (March 16).

On Friday and Saturday nights, the Coolidge has scheduled midnight screenings of Demme's early directorial achievements produced by cult and horror master Roger Corman. The 1975 Crazy Mama will be shown on Feb. 19 and 20 while Demme's debut film the 1974 Caged Heat will be shown on Feb. 26 and 27.

Tickets are $25 for the benefit screening of The Agronomist on March 1. Jonathan Demme will introduce the film and answer questions following the showing. Proceeds will go to support Haitian earthquake relief efforts through Partners in Health, an on the ground NGO. As an incentive, a group of Coolidge supporters are matching $3500 toward the first 149 tickets sold by Feb. 7. Advance tickets are now on sale at the Coolidge box office and through the website, www.coolidge.org.

On March 1 at 8 PM, the Coolidge is presenting a sneak preview of Neil Young Trunk Show which will open theatrically in Boston later in March. Demme will introduce the film and take questions following the showing. Tickets are $25. On March 2 at 12 noon, the Coolidge screens Melvin and Howard followed by a panel discussion.

The Coolidge Award Ceremony begins at 8PM on Tuesday, March 2. The ceremony will feature tributes to Jonathan Demme by colleagues and friends. Film clips from his work will be interspersed throughout the evening along with a special musical performance. Tickets to the Ceremony include a Pre-Award Reception at the Coolidge, featuring select wines and hors d-oeuvres, and $100. This is open to the general public. Limited tickets to just the Award Ceremony are $35.

The Coolidge Award is an annual prize recognizing a selected film artist whose work advances the spirit of original cinema. It was begun in 2004. Previous recipients include the outstanding animators Quay Brothers in 2009, film producer Jeremy Thomas in 2008 (Sexy Beast, The Last Emperor, The Great Rock and Roll Swindle), film editor Thelma Schoonmaker in 2007 (Raging Bull, Goodfellas, The Departed), actress Meryl Streep in 2006 (Sophie's Choice, Silkwood, The Deer Hunter), Italian cinematographer Vittorio Storaro in 2005 (Apocalypse Now, The Conformist, Reds), and Chinese director Zang Yimou in 2004 (Hero, The House of Flying Daggers, Raise the Red Lantern).

The Coolidge Corner Theatre is one of the nation's most prominent independently operated movie theaters, run by the not-for-profit Coolidge Corner Theatre Foundation. The theatre has won numerous awards and recognitions for creative and innovative programming. In 200o, a significant renovation and renaissance occurred with the addition of a new 45 seat screening room. In 2002 the Coolidge added a new Art Deco marquee. Continuation of the renovation included adding new seats and restoring the two 1933 theatres to look as they once did. The Coolidge Corner Theatre is now one of the great iconic movie and performance venues in America.

The Coolidge Corner Theatre is located at 290 Harvard Street in the heart of Coolidge Corner, Brookline, Massachusetts. For information on the programming, call 617-734-2500 or visit the website at www.coolidge.org.

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