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Film festival to screen work by 'On Golden Pond' director E-mail
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Mark Rydell’s films, which include “On Golden Pond,” “The Rose” and “Cinderella Liberty,” have received 26 Oscar nominations.

Rydell will visit the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill March 30-April 1 during a free film festival honoring his work.

Movie-goers can see five of his films and participate in discussions with him at the Chelsea Theater in the Timberlyne Village Mall, 1129 Weaver Dairy Road, in Chapel Hill.

The schedule for the Mark Rydell Restrospective Film Festival is:
  • March 30: 7 p.m.: “The Cowboys” (1972, John Wayne)
    9 p.m.: “On Golden Pond” (1981, Henry Fonda, Jane Fonda, Katharine Hepburn)
  • March 31: 7 p.m.: “Cinderella Liberty” (1973, James Caan, Marsha Mason)
    9 p.m.: “The Rose” (1979, Bette Midler)
  • April 1: 7 p.m.: “James Dean” (2001, James Franco)
Rydell comes to UNC’s writing for the screen and stage program as the Evan Frankel Visiting Professor. He will teach classes in the program and the dramatic art department, both in the UNC College of Arts and Sciences.

His visit is made possible by a gift to the college from the New York-based Evan Frankel Foundation.

As a film director and classically trained actor, Rydell immerses himself in every stage of the filmmaking process, from the beginning stages of script development to the final touches of post-production. His movies have received Academy, Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominations.

Rydell directed the Fondas and Hepburn in the critically acclaimed film “On Golden Pond,” which received 10 Oscar nominations, including best picture and best director.

Rydell also has found success on television, receiving 11 Emmy nominations for the 2001 movie “James Dean,” which he directed and produced for TNT. In the movie, Rydell portrays studio mogul Jack Warner opposite James Franco as James Dean. Rydell was nominated for a Directors Guild Award for his work on that project.

The writing for the screen and stage minor in the college taps strengths in the dramatic art and communication studies departments and the creative writing program to prepare students to write intelligently and creatively for both film and theater.

College of Arts and Sciences contact: Kim Spurr, (919) 962-4093, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
News Services contact: LJ Toler, (919) 962-8589