York University to Celebrate 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Legendary Russian Filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein

TORONTO, November 2, 1998 -- 1998 marks both the 100th anniversary of the birth and the 50th anniversary of the death of the legendary Russian filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein, who is best known for such films as, Battleship Potemkin, Ivan the Terrible and Alexander Nevsky. To mark this occasion, York University is co-sponsoring a symposium devoted to the films and ideas of Eisenstein, Saturday, Nov. 7 - Sunday, Nov. 8.

Organized jointly by York University, the University of Toronto's Centre for Russian and East European Studies (CREES), and the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD), the symposium will bring together Canadian scholars, artists and critics to explore the lasting impact of Eisenstein on world cinema, design, and theatre. The symposium is free and open to the public. It will take place in Room 126, Ontario College of Art and Design, 100 McCaul Street, Toronto.

York University organizers include humanities Professor Nick Lary and Andrew Burke, a graduate student in York's Department of English.

"Eisenstein is a filmmaker and theorist who is continually worth returning to," says Lary. "The goal of this symposium and the other events is to celebrate and examine Eisenstein's achievement."

The Eisenstein celebration also includes a major retrospective of Eisenstein's films, including rarely seen archival prints at Cinematheque Ontario, Nov. 6 to 15, and a photo exhibition entitled "Eisenstein: A Life in Photographs," being held by OCAD Oct. 29 to Nov. 15. Eisenstein's influence on avant-garde film will also be explored in a parallel film series screening Nov. 19 and Nov. 20. at the National Film Board of Canada.

For more information or a detailed schedule of the symposium, please contact CREES at (416) 978-3330, visit: http://www.yorku.ca/admin/comm/events/index.html or email: aaburke@yorku.ca.

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For more information, please contact:

Brigitte Kleer
Manager, Public Relations and Development
Faculty of Fine Arts, York University
(416) 736-2100, ext. 77143

Sine MacKinnon
Senior Advisor for Media Relations
York University
(416) 736-2100, ext. 22087

Ken Turriff
Media Relations Officer
York University
(416) 736-2100, ext. 22086
YU/075/98