“Great To Be Nominated” to Blast Off with “Star Wars”

Beverly Hills, CA — The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will launch part four of its popular “Great To Be Nominated” series on Monday, April 23 with “Star Wars.” The 16-week series will once again showcase the Academy Award® nominees for Best Picture that garnered the most Oscar® nominations in a particular year but did not win the Oscar for Best Picture. This installment will cover films from 1977 to 1992. A different film will screen each Monday evening, plus one Tuesday night, at 7:30 p.m. in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

The “Great To Be Nominated” screening of “Star Wars” coincides with the 30th anniversary of the breakthrough science fiction film that launched an empire. George Lucas and many of his fellow filmmakers will be present for a post-film panel discussion. The film was nominated for ten Academy Awards® and took home Oscars® for Art Direction (John Barry, Norman Reynolds, Leslie Dilley; Set Decoration: Roger Christian), Costume Design (John Mollo), Film Editing (Paul Hirsch, Marcia Lucas, Richard Chew), Music - Original score (John Williams), Sound (Don MacDougall, Ray West, Bob Minkler, Derek Ball), and Visual Effects (John Stears, John Dykstra, Richard Edlund, Grant McCune, Robert Blalack). Benjamin Burtt, Jr. received a Special Achievement Award for the creation of the alien, creature and robot voices in the film. The film was also honored with nominations for Actor in a Supporting Role (Alec Guinness), Directing (George Lucas), Best Picture (Gary Kurtz, producer) and Writing – Screenplay written directly for the screen (Lucas).

Part four of the series will continue through August 20. “Great To Be Nominated” will then go on hiatus until Spring 2008, when part five will begin with “Remains of the Day” (1993).

The complete screening schedule for part four of “Great To Be Nominated” is as follows:

April 23 “Star Wars” (1977)
April 24 (Tuesday) “Julia” (1977)
April 30 “Heaven Can Wait” (1978)
May 7 “All That Jazz” (1979)
May 14 “Raging Bull” (1980)
May 21 “Reds” (1981)
June 4 “Tootsie” (1982)
June 11 “The Right Stuff” (1983)
June 18 “A Passage to India” (1984)
June 25 “The Color Purple” (1985)
July 9 “A Room with a View” (1986)
July 16 “Broadcast News” (1987)
July 23 “Dangerous Liaisons” (1988)
July 30 “Born on the Fourth of July” (1989)
August 6 “The Godfather, Part III” (1990)
August 13 “Bugsy” (1991)
August 20 “Howards End” (1992)


Other elements from each year, such as short subjects, behind-the-scenes footage, trailers and music, will be incorporated into each evening’s program.

Passes for part four of “Great To Be Nominated” will be available starting April 2 at a cost of $30 for film buffs wishing to see the series in its entirety. A $5 discount is available for those who wish to renew their passes from parts one, two or three of the series. Tickets for the first four individual screenings will be available starting April 9 at a cost of $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID. They may be purchased by mail, in person at the Academy during regular business hours or, depending on availability, on the night of the screening when the doors open at 6:30 p.m. Curtain time for all features is 7:30 p.m., and pre-show elements will begin at 7 p.m. The Academy is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. For more information, call 310-247-3600.