November 4, 1999
Contacts:
AFI - Linda Dozoretz/Jane Covner
(323) 656-4499 -OR-
DCI - Katherine Urbon
(301) 771-5771
AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTE AND DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS
ANNOUNCE ANNUAL AFI/DISCOVERY GLOBAL DOCUMENTARY
FESTIVAL BEGINNING IN 2001 IN SILVER SPRING, MARYLAND
WASHINGTON, DC, November 4, 1999 -- The American Film Institute (AFI), the nation's preeminent organization dedicated to advancing and preserving the art of the moving image, and Discovery Communications, Incorporated (DCI), the leading creator and distributor of non-fiction entertainment in the new information age, today announced a creative alliance to present The AFI/Discovery Global Documentary Festival. The festival, designed to recognize and celebrate the highest standards in documentary filmmaking around the world, will debut in 2001 in conjunction with the opening of the AFI Silver Theater in downtown Silver Spring, Maryland. The announcement was made today at a press conference at the Discovery Channel Store: Destination D.C. by John Hendricks, founder, chairman and CEO of Discovery Communications, AFI's Director and CEO Jean Picker Firstenberg and Douglas M. Duncan, Montgomery County Executive.
"The extraordinary achievements of the world documentary community deserve significant recognition, and the Washington D.C., area, center of news and information production in the United States, is an ideal location," says Jean Picker Firstenberg, AFI's Director and CEO. "The launch of the AFI Silver Theater will provide the ideal venue to bring together the makers, audiences, and the wider public eager to see this work, and Discovery, the largest producer of non-fiction television in the world, is the perfect partner," she added.
Discovery will be the principal sponsor of the festival, which will be organized by the AFI, with both organizations working together to develop the ideas, themes and messages that will be used to bring the festival to life. The festival will be a premiere showcase event that will screen documentary films from around the world. The event will be competitive and will be presented at the level of today's most significant international film festivals. The festival will be designed to help educate the public about the documentary as an art form, in addition to serving as an important professional venue for world-class documentary producers.
The AFI/Discovery Global Documentary Festival will be based at the AFI Silver Theater in Silver Spring, Maryland, just miles away from the nation's capital. The Silver Theater, scheduled for completion in 2001, will be a state-of-the-art moving image exhibition, education and cultural center. Immediately across the street will also be the home for Discovery's new corporate headquarters, which, combined with the AFI's renovation of the Silver Theatre, has been described as the "crown jewel" of the $560 million dollar public/private partnership investment in the revitalization of Silver Spring and a big next step in the Washington, D.C. area's emergence as a creative content center for the arts.
"When we selected Silver Spring as Discovery's future corporate home, one of the great attractions was the fact that AFI had also chosen the area as the site for its East Coast operations," said Discovery Communications Founder, Chairman and CEO John Hendricks. "It made sense for our two organizations to explore ways to work together, and AFI's mission to advance and preserve the art of film dovetailed beautifully with Discovery's interest in showcasing the finest documentary programming around the globe. We look forward to working together to build this into a worldwide, world-class celebration of the documentary film."
"Downtown Silver Spring is one of the great urban redevelopment success stories in America today," said Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan, "and two of the main reasons are Discovery Communications, Inc. and the American Film Institute. Their plans to locate in Silver Spring - combined with the partnership they have formed to launch this exciting global documentary film festival - are helping to build tremendous momentum for the area."
"We are proud to have both Discovery and AFI among our ranks, and are absolutely thrilled about their plans to create and bring such a dynamic cultural event to downtown Silver Spring," Duncan added.
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 movie making. AFI also presents the best of film through the AFI Los Angeles International Film Festival, the AFI National Film Theater in the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and the annual AFI Life Achievement Award, the highest honor given for a career in film. More information about AFI can be found by visiting its award-winning web site, located at www.afionline.org.
Discovery Communications, Inc., is a privately held, global diversified media company headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland.
Powered by the world's largest original, non-fiction production engine, DCI operates three distinct business units including:
¯ Discovery Networks, U.S., consisting of Discovery Channel, TLC (The Learning Channel), Animal Planet, Travel Channel, Discovery Health Channel, Discovery People, Discovery Kids Channel, Discovery Science Channel, Discovery Home & Leisure Channel, Discovery Civilization Channel, Discovery Wings Channel, and Discovery en Espanol. The unit also markets and distributes BBC America; ¯ Discovery Networks, International, consisting of 32 different feeds of five distinctive channels transmitted worldwide over 15 satellites in 24 languages (not including the U.S.); ¯ Discovery Enterprises Worldwide, consisting of Discovery Channel Interactive Media, Discovery Channel Online, Discovery Channel Video, Discovery Channel Publishing, Discovery Channel Education and Discovery Channel Retail.
DCI's ownership consists of four shareholders _ Liberty Media Corporation (NYSE: LMG.A/LMG.B), Cox Communications (NYSE: COX), Advance/Newhouse Communications and John S. Hendricks, the company's founder, chairman and CEO.
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