February 2005

CAMPUS NEWS

SOC to Host Second Annual "Reel" Journalism Film Festival

Love the movies? You're not alone. In tribute to the many great films about journalism, the School of Communication (SOC) will hold its Second Annual Reel Journalism Film Festival this spring.

This year’s festival, to be held April 8-10, will focus on the "real" journalists who have had their stories told by Hollywood. Films will include: “Veronica Guerin,” “Almost Famous,” “The Insider,” “We Were Soldiers,” “Network,” “Citizen Kane,” “His Girl Friday,” and “The Paper,” as well as documentaries, “The World Is Watching,” and “The World Stopped Watching.”

The films will be shown at AU in the Greenberg Theatre on Wisconsin Avenue or at the Wechsler Theater in the Mary Graydon Center. If just coming to see a cool old flick or two isn't enough, SOC staff are currently working to get a few very special guest speakers from the movie biz to come talk about the films selected. Stay tuned!

This year's festival comes in response to the success of last year's inaugural festival, which AU partnered on with the American Film Institute (AFI), the Newseum, and The Washington Post. Held at the AFI Silver Theatre in Silver Spring, Md., the weekend drew more than 1,000 movie buffs, who caught films depicting the world of journalism from the newsroom to the battlefield. They also attended special panels featuring leading journalists and distinguished alums discussing topics such as Hollywood’s portrayal of the media, and journalists at war. Among the noteworthy participants were longtime CBS News producer Susan Zirinsky, SOC/BA 1974; former New York Times war correspondent and Pulitzer Prize winner Sydney Schanberg; and The Washington Post’s Len Downie, Desson Thomson, SOC/BA '80, and Rita Kempley.

For more information contact Bettina Fisher at 202-885-2074.

-Ashley Ferrell ‘07

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