Sumner Redstone donates $3M to Astoria's Museum Of The Moving Image
From a MOMI press release: Sumner M. Redstone, a film and media industry pioneer and Executive Chairman of Viacom Inc. and CBS Corporation, has made a $3 million gift to the Museum of the Moving Image, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary. In recognition of the gift from the Sumner M. Redstone Charitable Foundation, the…
From a MOMI press release:
Sumner M. Redstone, a film and media industry pioneer and Executive Chairman of Viacom Inc. and CBS Corporation, has made a $3 million gift to the Museum of the Moving Image, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary. In recognition of the gift from the Sumner M. Redstone Charitable Foundation, the Museum’s state-of-the-art main theater will be named the Sumner M. Redstone Theater beginning in May 2013. The announcement was made today by Museum of the Moving Image Board Chairman Herbert S. Schlosser and Executive Director Carl Goodman.
Mr. Schlosser said, “The naming of the Sumner M. Redstone Theater will forge a permanent bond between a visionary entertainment industry leader, whose contributions to the advancement of film and media are unrivaled, and the Museum, which is the nation’s only cultural institution devoted to educating the general public, including 50,000 middle and high school students per year, about the art, history, and technology of film and digital media. Mr. Redstone’s gift will allow the Museum to advance and expand its important mission as we enter our 25th year. We cannot thank him enough for this transformative gift.”
Mr. Redstone said, “I am proud to support the work of this iconic cultural center which so skillfully melds my two lifelong loves—of entertainment and learning. The moving image in all its forms has a deep connection for me, from my lifelong love of film and television; to my family’s theatrical exhibition business, National Amusements; to my role as Chair of two of the top global media entertainment companies, CBS and Viacom, whose Paramount Pictures is Hollywood’s oldest motion picture studio. It is a great honor for me to add my name to all the distinguished patrons of the Museum as it continues to spread the art of film and media.”
Mr. Goodman said, “There are so many connections between Mr. Redstone and the Museum through his many professional accomplishments and philanthropic endeavors. Mr. Redstone is committed to the business and art of the moving image, and to helping to inspire future generations. The site on which the Museum is located served as Paramount Pictures’ east coast facility in the 1920s. In its 25 years, the Museum has grown to encompass the broad array and multiple platforms of moving image media, including film, television, and the Internet, an evolution that mirrors the tremendous growth of Viacom and CBS under Mr. Redstone’s leadership. I cannot imagine a more fitting name for our theater.”
The Redstone Theater at Museum of the Moving Image has been recognized by the public, press, and industry professionals as the most dramatic big-screen movie going experience in New York. Outfitted with an ample screen of classic proportions, the 267-seat theater is equipped to project formats from 16mm to 70mm and high-definition digital 3-D. A stage accommodates the Museum’s ongoing series of discussions and other live programs and nearly 60,000 filmgoers attend more than 450 screenings and events in the theater annually that include Hollywood classics, world cinema, experimental and avant-garde films, previews of the most eagerly anticipated new releases, as well as live discussions with leading directors, actors, and creative figures in film, television, and digital media.
Mr. Redstone’s gift follows on the heels of the Museum’s $67.5 million renovation and expansion designed by architect Thomas Leeser and funded in part by the City of New York in addition to other public and private sources. The expansion, completed in 2011, provided the Museum with an education center, 68-seat screening room, changing exhibitions gallery, two amphitheaters, courtyard (opening in late spring 2013), a new lobby, and the theater that will now be named after Sumner Redstone, among other spaces.
“The Sumner M. Redstone Charitable Foundation’s gift will do so much to support the public-private partnership that sustains this vibrant institution,” said NYC Department of Cultural Affairs Commissioner Kate D. Levin. “Through its innovative programming, the Museum of the Moving Image is a cultural anchor in Queens and bolsters New York City’s role as a cultural, entertainment, and media hub. Mr. Redstone’s commitment and generosity will enhance the services provided by the Museum to New Yorkers and audiences from around the world.”
About The Sumner M. Redstone Charitable Foundation
From medical research to education to efforts to aid the poor and impoverished around the world, the Sumner M. Redstone Charitable Foundation seeks to advance aims that align with Sumner Redstone’s lifelong commitment to innovation, empowerment and progress. Over the last several years, Sumner Redstone has contributed more than $150 million to worthy charities around the world. Recent gifts have funded new state-of-the-art facilities at the USC School of Cinematic Arts and Boston University School of Law, supported the Global Poverty Project towards eradicating polio and established the Cambodian Children’s Fund child rescue center, along with research and patient care advancements in cancer, burn recovery and mental health at several major non-profit healthcare organizations. The Foundation will continue to seek out and support organizations in the United States and abroad that share Mr. Redstone’s vision for a better world. For more information on the Sumner M. Redstone Charitable Foundation and Mr. Redstone’s philanthropic efforts, please visitwww.sumnermredstonefoundation.org.
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