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 10/29/2006
Savannah Film Festival honored Academy Award-winner Tommy Lee Jones Oct. 29: "The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada" screened following Jones' tribute
SAVANNAH, Ga. — The Savannah Film Festival, hosted by the Savannah College of Art and Design and sponsored by Memorial Health, the Savannah Morning News, the City of Savannah, Coca-Cola and Bessemer Trust presented actor, director, producer, writer and Academy Award-winner Tommy Lee Jones with a Lifetime Achievement Award for Acting Oct. 29, 7 p.m., Trustees Theater, 216 E. Broughton St.
Jones made his film debut in the Academy Award-winning "Love Story" (1970), and went on to earn individual Academy Award and Golden Globe awards for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of U.S. Marshal Sam Gerard in the box office hit "The Fugitive" (1993), as well as an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Clay Shaw in the Academy Award-winning "JFK" (1991). While Jones has appeared in numerous films, including Academy Award-nominated "Coal Miner’s Daughter" (1980), "Under Siege" (1992), "The Client" (1994) and "Batman Forever" (1995), he also has experienced success behind the scenes since his 1995 directorial debut of TNT's critically acclaimed adaptation of the Elmer Kelton’s novel "The Good Old Boys."
A special screening of "The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada" directed by and starring Jones, Luc Besson and Michael Fitzgerald, ended the night at Trustees Theater. In "The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada" Jones plays Pete Perkins, a local ranch foreman embarking on a dangerous journey into Mexico after kidnapping and forcing a border patrolman to exhume a dead body.
The Savannah Film Festival screened director Walter Hill's "The Long Riders," earlier in the afternoon at the Lucas Theatre. Hill teamed up with four sets of real-life brothers to create what critics called one of the best Westerns in recent years. The legend of Jesse James and his alliance with the Younger brothers is presented as an exercise in both historical accuracy and exciting drama. Hill, who co-created and produced the "Alien" films will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award for Directing Oct. 31.
Professional competition films "The Gymnast," "Gnome," "The Trouble with Dee Dee" and "Mac an Athar" were also screened while The Silver Screen Society presented 2005 screenwriting contest winner Aaron Kablack’s first public reading of his screenplay "Hargrove House."
Morning and afternoon screenings and panels are $5 for the general public, $3 for students, seniors and military, and free for SCAD students, faculty and staff with a valid SCAD ID. The normal price for tickets to the evening screenings will be $10 for the general public and $5 for SCAD students, faculty and staff with a valid SCAD ID. The films are not rated and may contain mature content; parental discretion is advised. For more information, call 912.525.5050 or visit the .
Media inquiries can be directed to 912.247.2033 or 912.525.5225.
Named "Hottest for Studying Art" among America's 25 Hottest Colleges by Kaplan/Newsweek, the Savannah College of Art and Design exists to prepare talented students for careers in the visual and performing arts, design, the building arts, and the history of art and architecture. The college emphasizes learning through individual attention in a positively oriented environment. The goal of the college is to nurture and cultivate the unique qualities of each student through an interesting curriculum, in an inspiring environment, under the leadership of involved professors. SCAD features locations in Atlanta and Savannah, Ga., and in Lacoste, France, and offers online programs through SCAD e-Learning.
SCAD is a private, nonprofit institution accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097; telephone number 404.679.4501) to award bachelor’s and master’s degrees. The college offers Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Master of Architecture, Master of Arts, Master of Fine Arts and Master of Urban Design degrees, as well as undergraduate and graduate certificates. The five-year professional M.Arch. degree is accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board.
For more information about the college, e-mail may be sent to admission@scad.edu. Savannah, Lacoste and SCAD e-Learning inquiries may be directed to 800.869.7223 or 912.525.5100; Atlanta inquiries may be directed to 877.722.3285 or 404.253.2700.
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