ADG Film Society Presents CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND

We are not alone. The Art Directors Guild (ADG, IATSE Local 800) Film Society's 2019 Screening Series will present the Oscar -winning classic CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977) and pay tribute to its Oscar-nominated Production Designer Joe Alves, ADG, at the Egyptian Theatre on Sunday, June 23 at 5:30 pm. Following the screening, Mr. Alves will explore the making of Close Encounters and behind-the-scenes challenges including creating the massive alien ships, moderated by Thomas A. Walsh, ADG, Production Designer and ADG Film Society Co-chair. The annual 2019 Screening Series Production Design: Designers On Design, highlighting the work of renowned Production Designers and their creative collaborations, is in association with American Cinematheque.

Joe Alves' life story is that of a tenacious survivor and veteran of Hollywood's studio system as a master Artist, Set Designer, Illustrator, Art Director, Production Designer, Producer and Director. His insatiable need for discovery resulted in a unique and inspired life's journey, one rich in achievement, and we are excited to pay tribute to his creative repertoire, said Walsh.

Director Steven Spielberg's thrilling, suspenseful and human speculation on the possibility of alien contact with mankind was one of the blockbusters of the 1970s. Ray Bradbury declared Close Encounters of the Third Kind as the greatest science fiction film ever made, and it remains one of Joe Alves' seminal works. Close Encounters stars Richard Dreyfuss, Melinda Dillon, Teri Garr, Bob Balaban, Cary Guffey, and Fran ois Truffaut. It tells the story of Roy Neary, an everyday blue-collar worker in Indiana, whose life changes after an encounter with an unidentified flying object (UFO). Director Jean Renoir compared Spielberg's storytelling to that of Jules Verne and Georges M li s.

Joe Alves motion picture career began as a young visual-effects Disney animator assigned to the 1956 MGM classic, Forbidden Planet. His confidence and creative growth were nurtured by many challenging and diverse television and feature film experiences, including Hitchcock's Torn Curtain, Rod Serling's Night Gallery, Steven Spielberg's Sugarland Express, Jaws, and Close Encounters; John Carpenter's Escape from New York and Starman; Freejack and Geronimo: An American Legend.

Mr. Alves is an innovator and advocate for in-camera and visual effects solutions. His 64-year career transverses analog-to-digital filmmaking. His design leadership on Close Encounters and Jaws are both analog examples of mastering the challenges inherent in pre-digital filmmaking.

Representing the Art Directors Guild are John Muto ADG, Film Society Founder and Chair; Thomas A. Walsh ADG Film Society Co-Chair, John Iacovelli ADG, and Debbie Patton, ADG Director of Awards and Events. Working with them are the American Cinematheque's Gwen Deglise and Margot Gerber.

General admission: $12. American Cinematheque members: $8. Students/Seniors with valid ID: $10. All screenings start at 5:30 PM; 24-hour information is available at 323-466-FILM (3456). Advance tickets can be purchased on Fandango.com. Search by zip code (Egyptian Theatre 90028) to locate respective theatre listings. Tickets are also available at the Box Office at the theater.

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