Restored FUNNY GIRL to Open TCM Film Festival, 4/25

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will open the 2013 edition of the TCM Classic Film Festival with the world premiere of a brand new restoration of the musical classic Funny Girl (1968). TCM's own Robert Osborne, who serves as official host for the festival, will introduce Funny Girl to kick off the four-day, star-studded event taking place Thursday, April 25 - Sunday, April 28, 2013, in Hollywood. In addition to Funny Girl, the TCM Classic Film Festival will feature world premiere restorations of The General (1926), Giant (1956) and The Great Escape (1962), with many additional titles to be announced later.

Passes for the 2013 TCM Classic Film Festival are set to go on sale to the public Thursday, Nov. 15, at noon (ET). Passes can be purchased exclusively through the official festival website: www.tcm.com/festival.

Also announced today, Vanity Fair will serve as official partner for the TCM Classic Film Festival for the fourth consecutive year. Vanity Fair will co-present the after-party following the gala opening-night screening of Funny Girl.

Restored in 4K from the original camera negative by Sony Pictures Colorworks in celebration of its 45th anniversary, Funny Girl stars Barbra Streisand in her Oscar®-winning performance as Ziegfeld Follies comedienne Fanny Brice. Omar Sharif co-stars as high-rolling entrepreneur Nicky Arnstein, with Hollywood veteran William Wyler in the director's chair. Adapted from the popular Broadway musical that earned Streisand a Tony nomination, Funny Girl features a score by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill. Among the many memorable songs featured are "People" and "Don't Rain on My Parade," both of which became signature Streisand hits.

Among the first films slated for the 2013 TCM Classic Film Festival are three perennial favorites to be screened for the first time ever in restored editions:

The General (1926) - World Premiere Restoration
Buster Keaton's timeless Civil War comedy returns in a newly restored edition presented with a live score written and performed by the Alloy Orchestra. For this restoration, The General was scanned from the original nitrate camera negative and restored through the collaborative efforts of the Cohen Film Collective, the Library of Congress Packard Campus for Audio-Visual Conservation and TCM.

Giant (1956) - World Premiere Restoration
George Stevens directed this sprawling adaptation of Edna Ferber's Texas saga starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson and James Dean. This 4K restoration from the original camera negative was completed by Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging under the direction of George Stevens Jr.

The Great Escape (1963) - World Premiere of 50th Anniversary Restoration
Steve McQueen heads an all-star cast in this blockbuster World War II tale based on actual events. The Great Escape was restored by Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios at Deluxe Digital Media using a 4K scan of the original camera negative. The restoration entailed hundreds of hours of digital restoration to address significant damage and fading.

Additional screenings, events and talent appearances for the 2013 TCM Classic Film Festival will be announced over the coming months. Information about the festival - including video and photos from past festivals - can be found at www.tcm.com/festival.

The TCM Classic Film Festival launched in spring 2010 and has established itself as a destination event. Each year, the festival welcomes 25,000 movie fans from around the globe to enjoy more than a hundred screenings and events.

TCM host and film historian Robert Osborne serves as official host of the 2013 TCM Classic Film Festival, with TCM's Ben Mankiewicz also introducing films and events during the festival. The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, which has a longstanding role in movie history and was the site of the first Oscars® ceremony, will once again serve as the official hotel for the festival, as well as a central gathering point for attendees. Screenings and events will also be held at Grauman's Chinese Theatre, the Chinese 6 Theatres and the Egyptian Theatre. The Hollywood Roosevelt will also offer special rates for festival attendees.

Cinematic Journeys: Travel in the Movies, the theme for the 2013 TCM Classic Film Festival, will explore how movies can carry viewers beyond their hometowns to distant or imaginary locales, where they can be transformed by great storytelling. Often, the mode of travel provides the filmic inspiration, whether it's planes, trains, or automobiles. At other times, the trip itself serves as the central narrative, as in the case of many "road movies." With Hollywood as the starting point, TCM's cinematic excursion will take festival attendees on a fascinating journey to worlds both familiar and new.

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