KATHRYN BIGELOW TO ACCEPT ANDREW SARRIS AWARD AT FESTIVAL IN LOS ANGELES JUNE 3

On June 3rd, the Columbia University Film Festival will present director Kathryn Bigelow with the Andrew Sarris Award at Raleigh Studios in Los Angeles. Created by Columbia film students, the Andrew Sarris Award honors continued artistic excellence by distinguished alumni. Bigelow, who graduated from the film program in 1981, possesses a thrilling camera style and an adrenaline junkie's breakneck story pacing. She writes, "It is a true honor to receive the Andrew Sarris Award. My time at Columbia, and in Andrew Sarris' class in particular, was a time of great inspiration and creative expansion."

Kathryn's body of work, which includes the Vampire Western NEAR DARK (1987), the classic tale of a bank robbing surfer and a rookie FBI agent POINT BREAK (1991), and the Soviet submarine drama K-19: THE WIDOWMAKER (2002), is best described as kinetic. Every frame is infused with energy. In a recent talk at the Walter Reade Theater in New York Bigelow said, "Film is experiential, unlike literature, which is reflective. People go to the movies because they seek experiences." Her latest film, HURT LOCKER, opens on June 26th and continues Bigelow's trajectory of picking high stakes experiences as her subject matter. The film follows a bomb disposal team in Iraq as they chafe under a new team leader. HURT LOCKER is not bogged down with politics. Instead, it is a character study of young soldiers fighting to survive in a foreign country where everything is a potential threat.

We invite you to join us on June 3rd to check out our Faculty Selects short films from the festival and to help celebrate Kathryn Bigelow.