GREAT MUSEUMS: NEW ORLEANS: A LIVING MUSEUM OF MUSIC, the latest episode in the acclaimed public television documentary series, GREAT MUSEUMS, was recently awarded the prestigious CINE Golden Eagle Award for Documentary Excellence in Arts & Entertainment for the 2010 competition. This is the 10th CINE Golden Eagle Award for the GREAT MUSEUMS series since its debut on public television in 2002.
The CINE Golden Eagle Award has been widely recognized as a symbol of excellence in professional, independent and student filmmaking for over 50 years. Winners of the CINE competitions are chosen through a rigorous, tiered jury system, based on criteria reflecting storytelling, production value, artistry, purpose and overall excellence.
In GREAT MUSEUMS: NEW ORLEANS: A LIVING MUSEUM OF MUSIC, the award-winning series heads to the birthplace of American Jazz to experience the city as a “living museum” dedicated to preserving, protecting and exhibiting the traditional music of New Orleans – namely jazz. Narrated by New Orleans native and actor Wendell Pierce, with a musical underscore by Grammy® award-winning jazz trumpeter Irvin Mayfield, this one-hour HD special debuted on public television stations nationwide in May 2010 and is available for download via iTunes or on DVD.
GREAT MUSEUMS: NEW ORLEANS: A LIVING MUSEUM OF MUSIC is an intimate look at the traditions associated with New Orleans’ music and the preservation of those traditions through the work of local musicians and educators who mentor young talent; museum curators who care for musical treasures; historians and archivists who research and document the stories; activists working to protect, heal and inspire the many musicians whose livelihoods were taken away by Katrina. All are committed to the preservation of the rich musical heritage of New Orleans, as well as the future of New Orleans music. “The living museum is a manifestation of participation,” proclaims Ellis Marsalis—revered jazz pianist, music educator, and patriarch of the Marsalis family jazz dynasty—who is featured in the program.
GREAT MUSEUMS: NEW ORLEANS: A LIVING MUSEUM OF MUSIC will join the archive of CINE winners. Since its founding in 1957, CINE has been dedicated to discovering, rewarding, educating, and supporting established and emerging talent in film and video. Among great talents whose first films were awarded CINE Golden Eagles are Steven Spielberg, Ken Burns and Ron Howard, and filmmakers such as Robert Zemeckis, Mike Nichols, Martin Scorcese, Mira Nair, Charles Guggenheim, Stanley Nelson, Albert Maysles, Frederick Wiseman have also been recipients of the Golden Eagle Award.
About GREAT MUSEUMS TV
Executive produced by Marc and Chesney Doyle, GREAT MUSEUMSis an award-winning television series celebrating America’s museum world, airing coast to coast on public television stations representing more than 85% of US households. The series opens the doors of America’s museums to millions of Americans through public television, new media and community outreach with the goal of “curating a community of learners.” The compelling educational series has won more than three dozen television awards over the past five years, including a CINE Golden Eagle Award for Documentary Excellence in Arts & Entertainment for its recently aired documentary special, GREAT MUSEUMS OF HAVANA: CURIOUS ABOUT CUBA.