Savannah Film Festival Honored Milos Forman, Brett Ratner Oct. 28

Savannah Film Festival Honored Milos Forman, Brett Ratner Oct. 28

'Amadeus' and 'The Diving Bell and the Butterfly' screened

SAVANNAH, Ga., Oct. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- The 10th annual Savannah Film Festival, hosted by the Savannah College of Art and Design and sponsored by Memorial Health, the Savannah Morning News, the City of Savannah and The Talking Phone Book, presented Brett Ratner an Outstanding Achievement in Cinema Award and Milos Forman with a Lifetime Achievement Award for Directing Oct. 28, 7 p.m. at Trustees Theater, 216 E. Broughton St.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20071028/CLSU005 )

"Nothing is impossible with perseverance, hard work and loving what you do," Ratner said upon receiving his award.

Ratner has established himself as one of Hollywood's most successful directors with seven feature films that have collectively grossed more than $1 billion dollars worldwide.

In 2006, Ratner shattered several box office records with the release of "X-Men: The Last Stand" (2006). The film opened with a staggering $123 million in four days, with its $45.1 million-opening day marking the second-biggest single day box office ever.

Director and screenwriter Milos Forman is a two-time Academy Award-winner as Best Director for "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" (1975) and "Amadeus" (1984).

"This is a magical moment. Since I was a child and teenager behind the iron curtain and barbed wire, I was devouring books about the Wild West and cowboys. There was one word that jumped out at me as mystical - Savannah," Forman said. "To stand today in Savannah to receive a lifetime award while I'm still alive is magical."

Forman is one of a handful of foreign directors to achieve international success without being pigeon-holed by genre or nationality, and his films celebrate individualism.

A tribute to Forman and Ratner preceded the special screening of "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," directed by Julian Schnabel.

Based on a true story, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" gives insight to how Jean-Dominique Bauby, former editor-in-chief of Elle France, coped with a rare stroke to the brain stem.

For more information, call 912.525.5050 or visit the festival Web sites at www.scad.edu/filmfest/ and www.youtube.com/user/savannahfilmfest.

About the college

Named one of Kaplan's "25 cutting-edge schools with an eye toward the future," the Savannah College of Art and Design is a private, nonprofit, accredited institution with locations in Atlanta and Savannah, Ga., and in Lacoste, France. Undergraduate and graduate degree programs also are offered online through SCAD-eLearning. The college offers Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Master of Architecture, Master of Arts, Master of Arts in Teaching, Master of Fine Arts, and Master of Urban Design degrees. For more information about the college, visit www.scad.edu/.

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Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20071028/CLSU005
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Source: Savannah College of Art and Design

CONTACT: Sunny Nelson, Director of Communications, Savannah College of
Art and Design, +1-912-525-5231 office, +1-912-713-4275 cell

Web site: http://www.scad.edu/

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Profile: International Entertainment