The American Film Institute (AFI) today announced that it will open the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center on April 4, 2003. Launching a week-long series of events, the April 4 opening will honor actor/director Clint Eastwood, screen the classic American film THE OX-BOW INCIDENT on its 60th anniversary and present a tribute to those who helped bring the theatre's rehabilitation to fruition, including Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan, who spearheaded the project.
"This marks another milestone in the history of Silver Spring-the day that the Silver Theatre emerges from the dust of its past to become a showcase for film of all genres," said Duncan. "The AFI Silver undoubtedly will become an internationally known landmark in the world of film."
The AFI Silver will be a major, internationally recognized exhibition center offering film and video generally unavailable elsewhere-independent features, shorts, foreign films, documentaries and classic cinema. The AFI Silver will present an unprecedented variety of both American and international cinema in an ongoing series of festivals, screenings and special events, including filmmaker interviews, panels, discussions and musical performances that place the art on-screen in a broader cultural context.
Anchored by the rehabilitation of noted architect John Eberson's historic 1938 Silver Theatre, the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center is a 49,000 square foot complex with three theatres-one historic, two stadium-style-a cafe, a film-based retail outlet, office and meeting spaces, and reception and exhibition areas.
The opening of the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center with its three theatres establishes the American Film Institute as one of the largest specialty film exhibitors in the United States.
"AFI was created to advance the art of the moving image," says Jean Picker Firstenberg, AFI's Director and CEO. "Thanks to the citizens of Montgomery County, the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center will provide an environment where the past is respected and the future is explored through all forms of the moving image."
According to AFI Silver Theatre Director and COO Murray Horwitz, "The AFI Silver Theatre will offer a range of terrific films. Historically, architecturally and technically, you could not find a better screen experience anywhere."
Public Opening
Following the April 5-9 series of invitational screenings, the theatre will officially open its doors to the public on April 11 with a full array of notable films in all three theatres-the 1970 classic LE CERCLE ROUGE, THE LAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI JUKES (Robert Mugge's blues documentary), and a cycle of films from 1938, the year the Silver Theatre opened. On April 12 and 13, the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center will host two days of open houses to welcome the community, featuring a variety of screen and live entertainment.
In June, the AFI Silver will launch SILVERDOCS: AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival, presenting more than 60 provocative films and videos from a wide range of genres.
Unique Partnership Between AFI and Montgomery County
Saved from the wrecker's ball by community effort and landmark designation, the historic Silver Theatre is the anchor of an unprecedented $400 million public/private redevelopment effort in downtown Silver Spring, Maryland. The AFI Silver represents the $20 million "crown jewel" of the Montgomery County and State of Maryland project to transform the Silver Spring neighborhood into an arts and entertainment destination. In 1998, Montgomery County selected AFI to operate the rehabilitated theatre.
The AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center will also serve as a screen education center for K-12, college and continuing education. Working with the Montgomery County Public Schools, Montgomery College and others, AFI is committed to developing programs designed to encourage a greater understanding of film as an art form.
Facilities
The AFI Silver will offer state-of-the-art technology in each of its three theatres-with seating for 400, 200 and 75, respectively. The theatres will accommodate film formats from 8 to 70mm, high-definition digital cinema video projection, broadcast quality video recording and live music accompaniment, as well as distance learning capabilities via satellite, fiber and the Internet.
About AFI
AFI is the preeminent organization dedicated to advancing and preserving the art of film, television and other forms of the moving image. AFI trains the next generation of filmmakers, coordinates nationwide film preservation efforts and explores new technologies in moviemaking. AFI also presents the best of film through the AFI Los Angeles International Film Festival (AFI FEST); the AFI National Film Theater at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC; the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, Maryland (opening April 11, 2003); and the AFI Life Achievement Award, the highest honor given for a career in film. AFI's annual almanac for the 21st century, AFI AWARDS, honors the most outstanding motion pictures and television programs of the year. In addition, AFI's 100 Years . . . 100 Movies, 100 Stars, 100 Laughs, 100 Thrills, 100 Passions and 100 Heroes & Villains (airing June 2003) have ignited extraordinary public interest in classic American movies. More information about AFI can be found by visiting its Web site, located at www.AFI.com.
The AFI Silver is located in downtown Silver Spring, Maryland, at 8633 Colesville Road (between Georgia Avenue and Fenton Street). Conveniently located, the AFI Silver is two blocks from the Silver Spring Metro stop and easily accessible by the Capital Beltway (I-495), which is less than two miles from both the Georgia Avenue and Colesville Road exits. Phone: 301.495.6720. Web: AFI.com/Silver.
AN ARCHITECTURAL RENDERING OF THE AFI SILVER THEATRE AND CULTURAL CENTER IS AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD AT: http://www.AFI.com/silver040403/
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