Editor

In celebration of its 75th anniversary, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts
and Sciences will present an 18-month long screening series titled "Facets
of the Diamond: 75 Years of Best Picture Winners." The series will begin
on Monday, May 13, and will include the presentation of all the films to win
Best Picture. With just a couple of exceptions, the screenings will be held
in the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater on Monday evenings at 7:30 p.m.

The series will present the Best Picture winners in chronological order starting
with Best Picture Number Two, The Broadway Melody. Wings,the first
film to win a Best Picture Oscar statuette, will be saved for a special screening
event to take place later during the Academy's anniversary celebration. In addition
to each year's Best Picture, most screenings will include other film material
from the same year, such as short subjects, trailers and behind-the-scenes footage.
The program for each screening will include an image of that evening's Best
Picture poster.

"This is going to be a fantastic opportunity for people to see high-quality
prints of extraordinary films in the finest conditions possible," said
Bruce Davis, the Academy's Executive Director. "We'll try to make each
Monday evening in our theater an enjoyable trip back to the year of that night's
film."

The Academy's 300-person organizational banquet took place at the Biltmore
Hotel on May 11, 1927, and the first Academy Awards were presented on May 16,
1929. During the course of this screening series, the Academy will be celebrating
the diamond anniversary of its founding with numerous other special events for
its members and the public.