Aiken Supports AFI Proposal for Program's National Expansion
LOS ANGELES, July 22 /PRNewswire/ -- American Idol's Clay Aiken will visit Washington DC and Capitol Hill on behalf of the American Film Institute (AFI) and the AFI Screen Education Center on Tuesday, July 29.
Clay Aiken, who was completing his studies to become a special education teacher before entering the "American Idol" competition and an astonishing rise to super-stardom, supports AFI's efforts to expand the K-12 AFI Screen Education Center program nationwide.
AFI's Screen Education Center empowers teachers to use filmmaking and media production to engage students in the study of traditional subject matter, get them excited about what they are learning, and give them new tools for expressing their knowledge and understanding. AFI believes screen literacy -- the ability to read and write the language of the screen -- is a core 21st Century skill.
Joining Aiken on July 29 will be AFI Director Jean Picker Firstenberg, AFI Co-Director James Hindman, Director of AFI New Media Ventures Nick De Martino, and Director of AFI Screen Education Mitch Aiken. A day-long itinerary includes visits to the US Department of Education and Capitol Hill, a tour of the White House and an evening reception at Morton's of Chicago.
SCHEDULE:
9:00 a.m. (Estimated) White House tour (without press)
10:30 a.m. (Estimated) U.S. Department of Education
Visit with Secretary Ron Paige (tbc),
Under Secretary Eugene Hickok
12:30 p.m. Lunch in US Capitol's SC-6 with Members of
Congress
2:30 p.m. Press Opportunity outside US Capitol's Swamp
press area 6:00 p.m. Reception at Morton's of Chicago,
1050 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Hosted by AFI Trustee Allen J. Bernstein
More About AFI
AFI is the preeminent organization dedicated to advancing and preserving the art of film, television and other forms of the moving image. AFI trains the next generation of filmmakers at its world-renowned Conservatory, provides film preservation leadership and explores new digital technologies in moviemaking. AFI's New Media Ventures programs bring together the creative and digital communities, as the department seeks to develop a literacy program for the 21st century, helping young people learn to read and write screens of all sizes-cinema, television, computer and the Internet. With AFI ON SCREEN, the institute is the largest nonprofit exhibitor in the US, with programs at the AFI Los Angeles International Film Festival (AFI FEST); the AFI National Film Theater at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC; and the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, Maryland. A 49,000 square foot complex with three theatres -- one historic, two new state-of-the-art stadium-style theatres -- the AFI Silver exhibits film and video generally unavailable elsewhere in the region. AFI's annual almanac for the 21st century, AFI AWARDS, honors the most outstanding motion pictures and television programs of the year. AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Movies, 100 Stars, 100 Laughs, 100 Thrills, 100 Passions and 100 Heroes & Villains have ignited extraordinary public interest in classic American movies. During the past 31 years, AFI's Life Achievement Award has become the highest honor for a career in film. More information about AFI can be found by visiting its Web site, located at
www.AFI.com .
For further information, please contact: Joan Kirby, +1-301-495-6747, or Peter Mirijanian, +1-202-857-0670, both of AFI.
Users: 0
Author
