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| Lily Tomlin |
Award to be presented by festival founder Michael Moore
The five time Emmy® winning actress, Grammy® winner, two time Tony® winner, and Oscar® nominee will be in-conversation with Moore
The award will be presented to Tomlin during the festival’s 15th annual edition, running July 30 to August 4 along the beautiful shores of Lake Michigan in Traverse City, Michigan. Jane Fonda received the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018.
The theme of this year’s festival is “Cinema Saves the World."
The festival will host a screening of a rarely-seen documentary going behind the-scenes of Tomlin's Tony®-winning play and Tomlin will engage with Michael Moore for 90 minutes on the stage of the historic State Theatre.
From her start on the groundbreaking Laugh-In, through roles in Nashville and feminist mainstay Nine to Five, to finding streaming success with Grace and Frankie, the Detroit-born Lily Tomlin has shown the world what it is to be a legendary actress, comedian, and humanitarian.
The theme of this year’s festival is “Cinema Saves the World."
The festival will host a screening of a rarely-seen documentary going behind the-scenes of Tomlin's Tony®-winning play and Tomlin will engage with Michael Moore for 90 minutes on the stage of the historic State Theatre.
"We are thrilled to have Lily Tomlin join us on the 15th anniversary of our festival. As a native Detroiter, she helped to define American comedy in the 20th century,” Michael Moore, TCFF's founder and president, said. "We are proud to present her with our annual Lifetime Achievement Award."Tomlin will be invited to add her hand prints and signature to the TCFF Walk of Fame joining luminaries and stars including Madonna, Oscar® winner Susan Sarandon, Oscar® winner Christine Lahti, Oscar® winner Jane Fonda, Dick Gregory, Matthew Modine, Kristen Bell, and others.
From her start on the groundbreaking Laugh-In, through roles in Nashville and feminist mainstay Nine to Five, to finding streaming success with Grace and Frankie, the Detroit-born Lily Tomlin has shown the world what it is to be a legendary actress, comedian, and humanitarian.
In 2015, Tomlin she starred in filmmaker Paul Weitz's film Grandma, which the director said was inspired by Tomlin.
That critically-acclaimed film earned Tomlin a Golden Globe® Award nomination.
SCREENING
LILY TOMLIN 1986 | USA | NR | 90 min.
Directed by Nick Broomfield, Joan Churchill
See legendary comedian Lily Tomlin onstage, backstage, at home, and on the road in this rarey-seen doc (TCFF will host the very first screening of the newly digital restored film. that goes behind-the- scenes of her Tony Award-winning one woman show, The Search For Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe. With her long-time collaborator and director, Jane Wagner, Tomlin tackles a variety of topics such as radical feminism, depression, sex work, and homelessness with her signature comedic satire and grace. Following her across all aspects of her process (writing, performing, and refining), directors Joan Churchill and Nick Broomfield capture an incredibly intimate look at a renowned talent at work.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 2 • 3:00 PM • CITY OPERA HOUSE
CONVERSATION
A CONVERSATION WITH LILY TOMLIN
Many of the festival's most memorable moments have been the amazing conversations our fearless leader, Michael Moore, has had with notable personages onstage live in Traverse City. And we already know what is bound to be one of the most talked about moments at the festival this year as national treasure and comedian extraordinaire Lily Tomlin joins fellow Michigander Michael Moore in the hallowed State Theatre to sit down to talk about her life, her career, her activism, and her profound impact on entertainment and culture. Be there to hear this singular conversation and see Tomlin as she accepts the festival's Lifetime Achievement Award.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 3 • 3:00 PM • STATE
SCREENING
THE LATE SHOW 1977 | USA | PG | 93 min.
Directed by Robert Benton
Private Investigator Ira Wells, played by Oscar-winner Art Carney (Harry and Tonto), feels as though he’s on his last legs. He’s not getting any younger and his detective business is on the fritz. So when his former partner is shot to death while working on a mysterious case, Ira vows to get to the bottom of his friend’s murder. While back in action, Ira is introduced to Margo (played by Lily Tomlin in a Golden Globe nominated performance), a kooky, pot-selling woman who hires Ira to help find her cat she believes has been kidnapped. Lily Tomlin shines in this little-known whodunit that lives up to its original ad tagline: "The nicest, warmest, funniest, and most touching movie you’ll ever see about blackmail, mystery, and murder." This special screening is $5.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 3 • 9:00 AM • OLD TOWN PLAYHOUSE
ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
The Traverse City Film Festival was founded in 2005 by Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Michael Moore. He and fellow native Michiganders -- producer Rod Birleson, Emmy Award-winning actor Jeff Daniels, Emmy Award-winning actress Christine Lahti, and entertainment executive Penny Milliken -- serve on the organization’s Board of Directors. Other board members include Oscar-winning director Terry George, Emmy-winning director Larry Charles, Oscar® and Emmy®-nominated producer/director Tia Lessin, Grammy® Award-winning musician Tom Morello, and acclaimed filmmaker Mark Cousins.
The Traverse City Film Festival is a charitable educational non-profit organization committed to celebrating the art and power of cinema. We believe "One Great Movie Can Change You." The festival brings films and filmmakers from around the world to Northern Michigan for the annual summer event now one of the largest in the country. The festival has helped to create a thriving and vibrant downtown Traverse City with an estimated annual economic impact of $15 million.
The organization led the preservation and restoration of the historic State Theatre in downtown Traverse City, which it continues to own and operate as a year-round community-based volunteer-staffed art house theater. The theater has been named #1 by the MPAA on its list of the 10 best movie theaters in the world. The festival later expanded to renovate a WPA building from the FDR era and turn it into a sister screen for the State Theatre – the Bijou by the Bay. Both venues combine world-class state-of-the-art presentation with classic hometown movie palace experiences and offer weekly 25¢ classic and kids matinees free admission to active duty service members and their immediate families and more than 350 free and low-cost community events each year.
This year’s festival is led by Managing Director Susan Fisher and Creative Director Meg Weichman. They have worked on the festival for nearly a decade and have been at the helm since December 2018. Moore is the festival's programmer.
Join fans around the world and follow the Traverse City Film Festival on Facebook Twitter Instagram and YouTube.
SCREENING
LILY TOMLIN 1986 | USA | NR | 90 min.
Directed by Nick Broomfield, Joan Churchill
See legendary comedian Lily Tomlin onstage, backstage, at home, and on the road in this rarey-seen doc (TCFF will host the very first screening of the newly digital restored film. that goes behind-the- scenes of her Tony Award-winning one woman show, The Search For Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe. With her long-time collaborator and director, Jane Wagner, Tomlin tackles a variety of topics such as radical feminism, depression, sex work, and homelessness with her signature comedic satire and grace. Following her across all aspects of her process (writing, performing, and refining), directors Joan Churchill and Nick Broomfield capture an incredibly intimate look at a renowned talent at work.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 2 • 3:00 PM • CITY OPERA HOUSE
CONVERSATION
A CONVERSATION WITH LILY TOMLIN
Many of the festival's most memorable moments have been the amazing conversations our fearless leader, Michael Moore, has had with notable personages onstage live in Traverse City. And we already know what is bound to be one of the most talked about moments at the festival this year as national treasure and comedian extraordinaire Lily Tomlin joins fellow Michigander Michael Moore in the hallowed State Theatre to sit down to talk about her life, her career, her activism, and her profound impact on entertainment and culture. Be there to hear this singular conversation and see Tomlin as she accepts the festival's Lifetime Achievement Award.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 3 • 3:00 PM • STATE
SCREENING
THE LATE SHOW 1977 | USA | PG | 93 min.
Directed by Robert Benton
Private Investigator Ira Wells, played by Oscar-winner Art Carney (Harry and Tonto), feels as though he’s on his last legs. He’s not getting any younger and his detective business is on the fritz. So when his former partner is shot to death while working on a mysterious case, Ira vows to get to the bottom of his friend’s murder. While back in action, Ira is introduced to Margo (played by Lily Tomlin in a Golden Globe nominated performance), a kooky, pot-selling woman who hires Ira to help find her cat she believes has been kidnapped. Lily Tomlin shines in this little-known whodunit that lives up to its original ad tagline: "The nicest, warmest, funniest, and most touching movie you’ll ever see about blackmail, mystery, and murder." This special screening is $5.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 3 • 9:00 AM • OLD TOWN PLAYHOUSE
ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
The Traverse City Film Festival was founded in 2005 by Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Michael Moore. He and fellow native Michiganders -- producer Rod Birleson, Emmy Award-winning actor Jeff Daniels, Emmy Award-winning actress Christine Lahti, and entertainment executive Penny Milliken -- serve on the organization’s Board of Directors. Other board members include Oscar-winning director Terry George, Emmy-winning director Larry Charles, Oscar® and Emmy®-nominated producer/director Tia Lessin, Grammy® Award-winning musician Tom Morello, and acclaimed filmmaker Mark Cousins.
The Traverse City Film Festival is a charitable educational non-profit organization committed to celebrating the art and power of cinema. We believe "One Great Movie Can Change You." The festival brings films and filmmakers from around the world to Northern Michigan for the annual summer event now one of the largest in the country. The festival has helped to create a thriving and vibrant downtown Traverse City with an estimated annual economic impact of $15 million.
The organization led the preservation and restoration of the historic State Theatre in downtown Traverse City, which it continues to own and operate as a year-round community-based volunteer-staffed art house theater. The theater has been named #1 by the MPAA on its list of the 10 best movie theaters in the world. The festival later expanded to renovate a WPA building from the FDR era and turn it into a sister screen for the State Theatre – the Bijou by the Bay. Both venues combine world-class state-of-the-art presentation with classic hometown movie palace experiences and offer weekly 25¢ classic and kids matinees free admission to active duty service members and their immediate families and more than 350 free and low-cost community events each year.
This year’s festival is led by Managing Director Susan Fisher and Creative Director Meg Weichman. They have worked on the festival for nearly a decade and have been at the helm since December 2018. Moore is the festival's programmer.
Join fans around the world and follow the Traverse City Film Festival on Facebook Twitter Instagram and YouTube.
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