George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film announces it will honor Richard Gere with the prestigious George Eastman Award on Feb. 16. The award recognizes Gere’s distinguished contribution to the art of film as well as his global humanitarian leadership. In accepting the honor, Gere joins the company of such film legends as Charles Chaplin, Cecil B. DeMille, Gary Cooper, Gregory Peck, Jimmy Stewart, Audrey Hepburn, Kim Novak, Martin Scorsese, and Meryl Streep. The George Eastman Award was established in 1955 as the first retrospective film award to honor artistic work of enduring value.

George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film announces the appointment of Dr. Paolo Cherchi Usai to the position of senior curator of motion pictures, a title he held from 1994 to 2004. He is currently Curator Emeritus of the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia and director of the Haghefilm Foundation in the Netherlands. The appointment of Cherchi Usai, a leading figure in film preservation, marks his return to Eastman House, where he began working in 1989 with what is the third largest film collection in the United States.

Dozens of local non-profit organizations will benefit from a single fundraiser this fall — the George Eastman House Photo Finish 5K presented by MVP Health Care, aka The Philanthropy Challenge, hitting Rochester streets Saturday, Oct. 1. This type of event has become a fundraising frontrunner in major cities, with this local race modeled after the London Marathon, which has raised millions of dollars for charity.

Experience the iconic paintings and illustrations of artist Norman Rockwell alongside the staged photographs on which he based his work, with the exhibition Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera, on view June 25 through Sept. 18, 2011.

The Dryden Theatre pays tribute to Charlie Chaplin throughout the month of June, with a series of 15 films, including Modern Times, The Kid, and City Lights. While it is known Chaplin’s movies were made wholly for himself, they did speak to the whole world — and continue to do so decades later.

The Garden Vibes summer concert series at George Eastman House is celebrating its 18th year. On four Thursdays in July and August, George Eastman House offers a unique outdoor venue for experiencing live music. Picnic on the Eastman House lawn, relax with friends, and enjoy family-fun activities, while at the same time basking in George Eastman’s historic Townson Terrace garden and surrounding grounds. Concerts are 6 to 8 p.m. 

George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film is organizing its second benefit auction of photographic objects and prints, books, and camera technology, to take place in New York City at Metropolitan Pavilion at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 3. Denise Bethel, director of the Photographs Department at Sotheby’s New York, will again volunteer her services as auctioneer, as she did for last year’s inaugural benefit auction – which raised more than a half-million dollars in less than two hours for Eastman House.

The 360 | 365 George Eastman House Film Festival takes to Rochester screens April 27-May 2, with 104 films from 21 countries, plus celebratory parties, panel discussions, artist conversations, and award ceremonies. Those being honored this year include Oscar®-nominated and Emmy®-winning cinematographer Buddy Squires and celebrated Rochester-based screenwriter Brock Yates. The festival is celebrating its 10th year in 2011.

Filmmaker Jonas Mekas — whom many call the Godfather of American Avant-Garde Cinema — will visit the George Eastman House at 8 p.m. Saturday, April 9, for a screening of his film Reminiscences of a Journey to Lithuania and to receive the title of George Eastman Honorary Scholar for artistic achievement. Past recipients of this honor include directors John Frankenheimer, James Ivory, and John Landis; actors/photographers Dennis Hopper and Jeff Bridges; and most recently musician/photographer Graham Nash in January.

George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film commemorates the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War with photography and motion picture exhibitions opening on Feb. 12, Abraham Lincoln's birthday. The museum's unparalleled collection of 19th-century photography is showcased as iconic photographs hang alongside rare and never-before-seen images, in addition to contemporary images of Civil War sites and re-enactments and a look at how motion pictures have fictitiously depicted the war. The exhibitions are on view through June 12, 2011.

George Eastman House presents virtual springtime, with the 17th annual exhibition The Dutch Connection: George Eastman's Conservatory in Winter Bloom, on view Friday, Feb. 11 through Saturday, Feb. 26.This colorful, interpretive exhibition will feature thousands of flowering bulbs, re-creating Eastman's 1911 display of flowers from Holland - ordered from the same Dutch company Eastman used. 

Witness history as photographer and musician Graham Nash receives the title of George Eastman Honorary Scholar, and discusses his career and the Taking Aim exhibition, at 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 22 in the Dryden Theatre.

The University of Rochester and George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film, the world’s preeminent museum of imaging, have entered into an alliance to further public engagement, research and education in the arts and sciences, with a focus on the museum’s photography and motion-picture collections. This will be the most extensive museum and university alliance of this type in existence.

The Dryden Theatre at George Eastman House will host Rochester-based filmmaker and two-time Oscar® winner Robin Lehman at 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 10. Screening that evening will be three of Lehman’s thought-provoking films, featuring the pure, wordless cinema of his celebrated short films, his signature cinematography, and his moving and humor-filled documentary Forever Young. Lehman will introduce the films and talk with the audience following the screenings.

Chautauqua Institution is partnering with Eastman Kodak Company and George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film for a week unlike any other offered in the Institution’s history — exploring the world of photography with world-renowned speakers, interactive exhibits and activities, and an onsite social media center designed to share the experience with the world.

The Dryden Theatre at George Eastman House will present a series of six films in July and August starring Cary Grant, whose name remains synonymous with the glamour of Hollywood’s Golden Age. The Dryden series, titled “Cary Grant Comedies,” showcases some of his most famous screwball comedies alongside leading ladies Marilyn Monroe, Katharine Hepburn, Ginger Rogers, and Sophia Loren.

The Dryden Theatre at George Eastman House is showcasing the films of Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998), one of cinema’s most recognized directors, with a retrospective in August titled “Akira Kurosawa Centennial.” This year marks the 100th anniversary of Kurosawa’s birth and the Dryden is celebrating by screening six of his popular and lesser-known titles. 

George Eastman House welcomes back filmmaker Ken Burns, along with his long-time writing partner Geoffrey C. Ward, for an intimate talk on the Dryden Theatre stage at 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 13. “An Evening with Ken Burns & Geoffrey C. Ward” will offer an insider’s look at their artistic approaches and processes, as they talk about advancing an idea into an award-winning film. Burns and Ward each will receive the George Eastman Medal of Honor.

George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film celebrates the 60th anniversary of the Kodak Colorama — the gigantic panoramic images that dominated Grand Central Terminal for 40 years, from 1950 to 1990 — with an international touring exhibition titled Colorama debuting June 19, on view at Eastman House through Oct. 17, 2010. At the same time, Eastman House is announcing Eastman Kodak Company has donated its Colorama archive to the museum. 

After a decade of training the world’s top photograph conservators via a dedicated post-graduate fellowship program, George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film announces it is again offering Photography Workshops to the public, of varying levels of interest and expertise — photographers, curators, educators, artists, or those interested in the art form.

George Eastman House International Museum of Photography & Film announces one of the most important acquisitions in its 61-year history — the collection of Merchant Ivory Productions.  This collection of 2,600 elements includes more than 40 film titles, such as Oscar®-winners A Room With a View (1986) and Howards End (1992) and Oscar® nominees such as The Remains of the Day (1993), Mr. and Mrs. Bridge (1990), and The Bostonians (1984). 

George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film today announced a major gift to the museum — the historic archive of Technicolor dating from 1915 to 1974. The donation includes rare cameras, documents and drawings, photographs, printers and processing machines, corporate records, and other important materials that represent the history of Technicolor’s groundbreaking contributions to motion pictures. This collection joins the Eastman House’s current Technicolor holdings of early research papers, technology, and the world’s largest collection of Technicolor camera negatives, including The Wizard of Oz and Gone With the Wind.

Dr. Caroline Frick Page has been named curator of motion pictures at George House International Museum of Photography and Film, the third largest film archive in the United States. Assuming her position on March 1, she is the sixth curator of motion pictures in the museum’s 61-year history. She has previously worked in film preservation at Warner Bros., Library of Congress, and the National Archives in Washington, D.C.

George Eastman House International Museum of Photography & Film will celebrate the 82nd Academy Awards® on Sunday, March 7 with its 14th annual movie-themed Oscars® party — at the home of the father of motion picture film, George Eastman.

George Eastman House announces a $100,000 challenge for 2010, offered by long-time friends Ron and Donna Fielding. Donations made to the museum this year will be matched dollar for dollar. The Fielding Challenge -- being promoted with the tagline “Help us Do A Double-Take” --  is active for every new and increased unrestricted gift made to Eastman House this year, including becoming a member and upgrading membership to a new level. 

This winter George Eastman House presents an exhibition of photographs by contemporary, and often controversial, artist Roger Ballen. The 74 black-and-white images of this mini-retrospective, titled Roger Ballen: Photographs 1982-2009, will be on display Feb. 27-June 6, 2010. Eastman House will travel the exhibition worldwide following its Rochester run. 

Benoit is the author of mystery novels Out of Order Noble Lies, and Relative Danger, the latter named “Best Mystery/Suspense Book of the Year” by the Independent Publishers Association, and a nominee for an Edgar Allen Poe Award, regarded as the “Oscar®” for mystery writers. Out of Order has also received acclaim and recognition, with The Denver Post noting, “It’s the kind of book Alfred Hitchcock would have filmed.”

The Dryden Theatre at George Eastman House will host Rochester-based filmmaker and two-time Oscar® winner Robin Lehman at 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 30. Screening that evening will be Lehman’s two Academy Award®-winning shorts, Don’t and End of the Game, as well as his Oscar®-nominated short Nightlife. Lehman will introduce the films and talk with the audience following the screenings.

The Dryden Theatre at George Eastman House shines a spotlight on the filmmaking relationship between powerhouse actor Robert DeNiro and celebrated director Martin Scorsese, with a film series in January and February titled Eight Portraits of the Obsessive:  The films of Robert DeNiro and Martin Scorsese.

\The Dryden Theatre at George Eastman House presents a Rochester exclusive screening of Black Dynamite, a gut-busting spoof of 1970s blaxploitation movies, and low-budget movies in general. The film has been heralded as one of the funniest movies of 2009.

An exhibition and sale of vintage jewelry — including 19th-century photographic items — will highlight three days of events at George Eastman House, offering a chance to own a glamorous piece of history while supporting the museum. This benefit event —featuring the Carole Tanenbaum Vintage Collection of costume jewelry, which you’ve seen in films such as The Devil Wears Prada, Chicago, and Grey Gardens — will take place Dec. 3 through 5 and includes a preview party and lecture.

The Dryden Theatre at George Eastman House welcomes writer/director Bob Byington, who will introduce his debut feature film Harmony and Me at 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4, and talk with the audience following the screening. One of the film’s actors, Kevin Corrigan (Grounded for Life, Goodfellas, Pineapple Express), also will appear in person that evening and take part in the discussion.

For the first time in the two centuries of photographic history, a book has been produced that celebrates both the camera and the art of the photograph — displaying images alongside the cameras that created them. George Eastman House International Museum of Photography & Film launches this month Camera: The History of Photography from Daguerreotype to Digital (Sterling Innovation, 2009, 368 pp., $45). The world’s oldest museum of photography, Eastman House is home to a number of world-class collections, including the world’s largest collection of camera technology.

George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film is commemorating its 60th anniversary in 2009 with a deluxe portfolio of 12 photographs created by celebrated international artists. A limited edition of 25 Sixtieth Anniversary Portfolios is being sold to collectors and institutions.

The Dryden Theatre at George Eastman House welcomes in November and December two filmmakers involved in a relatively new movement in independent cinema known as “Mumblecore,” in addition to several exclusive screenings.

The Dryden Theatre at George Eastman House presents a rollicking series of films this November and December — MINNELLI’S MGM MUSICALS. The featured films of Oscar®-winning director Vincente Minnelli star Gene Kelly, Judy Garland, Fred Astaire, Cyd Charisse, Leslie Caron, Maurice Chevalier, Lena Horne, Judy Holliday, and Dean Martin, among many others. The films in the series are all from the archives of George Eastman House — which holds the world’s largest collection of Technicolor films.

The Dryden Theatre at George Eastman House is “Remembering John Hughes” by screening seven of his most popular films every Wednesday in November through mid-December. From teenage dilemmas to painful vacations, the recently departed John Hughes made fans far beyond the 1980s, although his films did serve as a perfect presentation of decade.  

The Dryden Theatre at George Eastman House shines a spotlight on American film criticism with a series of screenings in November and December. “For the Love of Movies: The History of American Film Criticism” celebrates those people of letters whose words are devoted to moving pictures, by presenting a number of movies that provoked particularly inspired and influential essays, including Meet Me in St. Louis, Saturday Night Fever, andRashomon. 

The Dryden Theatre at George Eastman House shines a spotlight on American film criticism with a series of screenings in November and December. “For the Love of Movies: The History of American Film Criticism” celebrates those people of letters whose words are devoted to moving pictures, by presenting a number of movies that provoked particularly inspired and influential essays, including Meet Me in St. Louis, Saturday Night Fever, andRashomon. 

The Dryden Theatre at George Eastman House shines a spotlight on American film criticism with a series of screenings in November and December. “For the Love of Movies: The History of American Film Criticism” celebrates those people of letters whose words are devoted to moving pictures, by presenting a number of movies that provoked particularly inspired and influential essays, including Meet Me in St. Louis, Saturday Night Fever, andRashomon.