Programming to include upcoming season of NT Live; series of films by director David Cronenberg with September 24 Q&A with Christopher Hampton after screening of A Dangerous Method; and movies to be announced curated by Film Society inspired by Guthrie programming

FILMS WILL BE SCREENED AT FILM SOCIETYS

ST. ANTHONY MAIN THEATRE IN MINNEAPOLIS

(Minneapolis/St. Paul) The Film Society of Minneapolis St. Paul and the Guthrie today announced a new partnership that will link the two organizations in an ongoing series of film screenings and programming that will provide a new home for the popular filmed-theater series NT Live originating from the National Theatre of London, as well as films selected and curated by the Film Society inspired by the Guthries upcoming 2012-2013 season, its 50th. All films in the partnership will be screened at the Film Societys St. Anthony Main Theatre, located at 115 SE Main Street in Minneapolis.

NT Live is an initiative by the UK's National Theatre to broadcast high-definition performances of its plays to more than 300 venues worldwide. Since July of 2009, the Guthrie screened 17 productions including the series launch in July 2009 with the acclaimed production of Phèdre starring Helen Mirren; in total, since 2009 the NT Live series at the Guthrie attracted an audience of nearly 5,000.

The upcoming season of NT Live will be presented by the Film Society in a series of Theatre Thursdays, beginning on September 20 with The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, based on the novel by Mark Haddon and telling the story of a precociously intelligent teen who embarks on a frightening journey after being found next to a dead dog for whose demise he is the prime suspect.

The season of NT Live will continue with The Last of the Haussmans on November 1; a new comedy by Stephen Beresford, Haussmans tells the story of a freewheeling and anarchic family on the verge of losing its grip. The next showing in the NT Live season will be Timon of Athens, Shakespeares biting satire of consumption, debt and ruin, screening on November 15.

The Film Society/Guthrie partnership will feature retrospectives as well as current films chosen by the Society and reflecting its curatorial vision while drawing on themes from the Guthries staging of classic and contemporary theater.

Per the Film Societys vision, says Susan Smoluchowski, executive director of The Film Society, which is to exhibit the very best of classic and contemporary cinema from around the world, we are delighted to launch a year-long program of curated films evoked by the Guthrie Theaters stage production this season.

This Film Society programming begins with the retrospective Cronenberg: The Baron of Blood series from August 26 - September 24 and featuring movies directed by auteur David Cronenberg. The film series begins on August 26 - 27 with M. Butterfly and is followed by The Fly on September 2 -3, Videodrome on September 9 -10, Dead Ringers on September 16 - 17 and A Dangerous Method (with a screenplay by Christopher Hampton, the writer honored by this falls Hampton Celebration at the Guthrie, an in-person question-and-answer session with Hampton will follow the Monday, September 24 screening) on September 23 - 24.

Tickets for NT Live are $20, $16 students/seniors, $15 for Film Society members. Tickets for other film screenings are $8.50, $6 students/seniors, $5 for Film Society members. The Film Societys administrative phone number is 612.331.7563. Further details about the Film Society of Minneapolis St. Paul/Guthrie partnership will be announced as available. Information about The Film Society of Minneapolis St. Paul and details of its programming can be found at: www.mspfilmsociety.org.

THE FILM SOCIETY OF MINNEAPOLIS ST. PAUL has a rich 50 year history of exhibiting the very best of contemporary and historical independent, local, national and international cinema to Minnesota audiences. In doing so, we inform our audiences about the cultures, histories, cutting-edge news and filmmaking artistry from countries around the world.

Programming, at the St. Anthony Main Theatre on the banks of the Mississippi, includes daily screenings, topical festivals and a variety of film events serving a strong membership base and diversifying audiences of 75,000+ annually.

The Film Societys centerpiece is the annual Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival which is presented every April. The Festival is the largest spring arts event in the region, exhibiting more than 200 films from some 70 countries each year and drawing audiences of 40,000+.

THE GUTHRIE THEATER (Joe Dowling, Director) was founded by Sir Tyrone Guthrie in 1963 and is an American center for theater performance, production, education and professional training. The Tony Award-winning Guthrie Theater is dedicated to producing the great works of dramatic literature, developing the work of contemporary playwrights and cultivating the next generation of theater artists. With annual attendance of nearly 500,000 people, the Guthrie Theater presents a mix of classic plays and contemporary work on its three stages. Under the artistic leadership of Joe Dowling since 1995, the Guthrie continues to set a national standard for excellence in theatrical production and performance. In 2006, the Guthrie opened its new home on the banks of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel, the Guthrie Theater houses three state-of-the-art stages, production facilities, classrooms and dramatic public lobbies. www.guthrietheater.org

For more information contact:

Jesse Bishop 612.331.7563

jesse@mspfilmsociety.org

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