Nomination Deadline: Please submit nominations via email to rachel@filmstreams.org by April 15, 2009.
The 2009 National Humanities Conference planning committee is developing a program that will offer the state councils many opportunities to address the critical issues that we face in these troubling times. The committee also believes that the 2009 Conference should be a time to celebrate the state councils' accomplishments during the past nearly four decades. Therefore the Nebraska Humanities Council is partnering with Film Streams' Ruth Sokolof Theater to host a month-long film series in November show-casing eight of the best films that the state humanities councils have funded. Two of those films will be featured during the Nov. 5-8 weekend of the National Conference. It is hoped that we may be able to get the filmmaker of one of the films to speak to the audience after the film's showing on Thursday evening, Nov. 5, following the opening reception at Union Pacific's corporate headquarters. Film Streams' Ruth Sokolof Theater is an easy walk from the Conference hotel as is Union Pacific.
Open seven days a week, Film Streams' cinema hosts four principal programs: FIRST RUN FILMS- American independents, documentaries, and foreign films making their theatrical premieres in Omaha and the surrounding region, REPERTORY SELECTIONS- Classic films, themed series, and director retrospectives, featuring films from throughout the history of cinema and contributions by guest curators (Alexander Payne Presents, August 2007; Kurt Andersen's Out There: Nebraska and the Great Plains in the Movies, November 2007). ARTS IN EDUCATION-Diverse programming teaching area high school students how to interpret films in a cultural context, empathize with characters in ways that are beneficial to their own personal development, and analyze film as an art form, & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT-Lectures, forums, Q&A sessions with film professionals, partnerships with other nonprofits and community groups on film-based events, special one-time screenings for area filmmakers, and other activities that engage the public in a continuous dialogue about film and contribute to a vibrant local arts community For more information please visit www.filmstreams.org.
Therefore, the selection criteria will be to choose the very best films that the councils have produced-those that have received national recognition and national distribution and/or airing. Rachel Jacobson, Director of Film Streams will select the final eight films to be presented. We hope to get some national publicity for the humanities council films through press releases to major papers from the states that nominated the films.
The deadline for nomination is April 15, 2009. No council may nominate more than three films, and the same restriction applies to those states that are part of collaboratives such as the Southern Humanities Media Fund. If you have questions, please contact Jane Hood at jane@nebraskahumanities.org.