Hollywood On Productions:
Janet Donovan & Brendan Kownacki
“This is the Oscar of The National Archives,” said Patrick Madden, Executive Director of The Foundation for The National Archives, who was elated to be part of the 2013 award ceremony honoring Director Steven Spielberg in recognition of his film legacy.
Patrick Madden
The Records of Achievement Award is “a tribute to an individual whose work has fostered a broader national awareness of the history and identity of The United States through the use of original records.”
The three-time Academy Award winner was recognized for his historical films Lincoln, Saving Private Ryan, Amistad and Schindler’s List as well as for his USC Shoah Foundation Institue for Visual History and Education, dedicated to making audio-visual interviews with survivors and witnesses of the Holocaust and other genocides.
T.H. David Ferriero, Ken Burns and Steven Spielberg
“Steven Spielberg is the perfect recipient of this honor,” said Cokie Roberts, journalist and Board Member. “Not only does he understand history and convey it, but he also uses this institution to do a lot of his work.”
Prior to the reception and dinner, Spielberg was given a behind the scenes guided tour and was spellbound by the historical significance of the well guarded documents. “You know,” he said. “History is the most exciting thing we’ve got.”
Writer/Producer Charles Segars, who worked with Spielberg at Dreamworks for ten years and came up with the movie about stealing the documents – National Treasure – said: “And I think security is a little nervous since we’re doing a sequel…….number three.”
Ken Burns and Steven Spielberg
Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, a past award recipient, engaged his colleague in conversation at the dinner on the 150th Anniversary of President Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.
“What trickles down from these popular films like Lincoln or Amistad affects how much we read, it affects the kind of questions we ask at the dinner table and in our classrooms.”
An evening with Steven Spielberg:
