Academy (AMPAS) News: Film Scholars, Documentaries Series

The AMPAS Building

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that Professor Peter Decherney and Professor Harlow Robinson are the 10th Academy Film Scholars. Decherney and Robinson were selected by the Academy's Institutional Grants Committee, and will receive $25,000 to assist in research and development of their respective projects.

 The Academy describes the projects of these film scholars as follows:

Decherney, an assistant professor of English and cinema studies at the University of Pennsylvania, will tackle the film industry’s engagement with copyright law and digital media, in such areas as antipiracy campaigns, filmmakers’ rights, plagiarism, fair use and the legal environment for new technologies. The book will also demonstrate how Hollywood has responded to its intellectual property issues through self-regulation. Decherney's book will be titled Hollywood's Copyright Wars.

Robinson, a Matthews Distinguished University Professor in the Department of History and Program in Cinema Studies at Northeastern University, will delve into the career of Oscar-winning director Lewis Milestone. Milestone's 37-year career, during which he completed 38 feature films. They include the Best Picture nominees The Front Page (1931), Of Mice and Men (1939) and Mutiny on the Bounty (1962) as well as Best Picture winner All Quiet on the Western Front (1930). As part of his research Robinson plans to interview current filmmakers, including Steven Soderbergh, who directed the remake of Milestone's "Ocean’s Eleven" (1960). The book will also examine Milestone's contributions to a variety of film genres, including film noir, musical, comedy and war drama. Robinson's book is tentatively titled Lewis Milestone: A Hollywood Career.

The scholars will receive the first half of their award at a luncheon in April, and the second half when their works are completed and presented at an Academy-hosted public presentation.

The next Academy news is that part two of its 28th Annual Contemporary Documentaries Series kicks off Wednesday, March 24th at 7 PM at the Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood at 1313 Vine Street. Admission is free.

For more information you can call AMPAS at (310) 247-3600 and visit Oscars.org