Rita Moreno and Quentin Tarantino Receive AFI Honorary Degrees

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AFI Conservatory 2016 Commencement Celebrates New Filmmakers

The American Film Institute (AFI) celebrated this years 116 AFI Conservatory graduates - and the worlds newest filmmakers - today at Hollywoods historic TCL Chinese Theatre. During Commencement ceremonies for the Class of 2016, Doctorate of Fine Arts degrees honoris causa were conferred upon Rita Moreno (SINGIN IN THE RAIN, WEST SIDE STORY) and Quentin Tarantino (THE HATEFUL EIGHT, PULP FICTION) for their contribution of distinction to the art of the moving image. Actress/director/producer and AFI Trustee Eva Longoria (DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES, DEVIOUS MAIDS) presented the honor to award-winning actress Moreno. Leading film scholar Elvis Mitchell presented the honor to his friend, celebrated director/writer/producer Tarantino.

Words of wisdom were shared by presenters and Honorary Degree recipients to the Class of 2016. As an Honorary Degree presenter, Longoria advised the graduates to use Moreno as a guiding light to include as many viewpoints as possible and to do it with fire and beauty and love as she does. Accepting the honor, Moreno sang Dream (When Youre Feeling Blue) a capella and shared, Never give up, and remember in order to have it all, you have to love it all. Together, Longoria and Moreno, two leading figures in entertainment, shared in sentiments that characterized the Commencement overall: new storytellers such as this years Class of 2016 are primed to break the mold of stereotype and to use the art form to reflect the diversity of the entertainment community and of our world.

Mitchell presented the Honorary Degree to Tarantino, calling him the boldest and baddest voice in American film whose passion for the art form is as explosive as nitrate. Tarantino, accepting his degree, told Fellows, I challenge and implore you to do your best. Your best is to be part of the artistic conversation. Contribute to the conversation on art, film, television, multimedia, race, culture, America, the world, he said. Every daisy chain that happens when you make your art is just another chance to be part of the conversation. We need you.

Moreno and Tarantino join an esteemed group of distinguished past Honorary Degree recipients, including Robert Altman, Maya Angelou, Kathryn Bigelow, Mel Brooks, Anne V. Coates, Clint Eastwood, Roger Ebert, Nora Ephron, James Earl Jones, Lawrence Kasdan, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Kathleen Kennedy, Angela Lansbury, John Lasseter, Spike Lee, David Lynch, Helen Mirren, Robert Towne, Cicely Tyson, Haskell Wexler and John Williams.

About Rita Moreno

One of only a handful of performers to have won all four major entertainment awards, the Emmy , Grammy , Oscar and Tony , collectively known as the coveted EGOT, actress Rita Moreno is perhaps best known for her iconic and acclaimed performance as Anita in WEST SIDE STORY. Spanning seven decades, her celebrated career as actress, singer, dancer and author has included widely varied roles across film, TV and stage - such as CARNAL KNOWLEDGE, JANE THE VIRGIN, THE KING AND I, THE MUPPET SHOW, HBOs OZ and SINGIN IN THE RAIN. Moreno is currently working on Netflixs ONE DAY AT TIME. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2004, the National Medal of Arts in 2010 and the Kennedy Center Honor in 2015.

About Quentin Tarantino

Director, screenwriter, producer and actor, Quentin Tarantino is a bold voice in American filmmaking - one whose work is often characterized by its stylized storytelling, dark comedy, eclectic soundtracks and fluency in the vocabulary of film history. He first commanded attention with 1992s RESERVOIR DOGS and earned a Best Screenplay Oscar for PULP FICTION - a film which ranks among AFIs 100 Years...100 Movies list of the greatest American movies of all time - and for which Tarantino was also nominated for Best Director. He has continued to gain a loyal following with his master classics like DJANGO UNCHAINED, THE HATEFUL EIGHT - the directors bloody valentine to 70mm cinema, INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS and KILL BILL: VOL. 1 and KILL BILL: VOL. 2.

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