POLLYWOOD | Show and Tell

The Motion Picture Association's symposium brings Hollywood heavyweights to the Capital City

BY JODY ARLINGTON

What does Hollywood do besides star-studded campaign fundraisers, movie screenings and celebrity congressional visits? On February 6th, MPAA chief Dan Glickman added to the list by kicking off a first-of-its-kind industry symposium to explore the biz of showbiz and tell Tinseltown's behind-the-scenes story.

The Biz in Washington

In a first ever industry economic report, MPAA provided a state by state breakdown of showbiz contributions. Washington, D.C., ranks 16th, tied with several states, based on actual films shot here. The study notes that the numbers are conservative and do not take into account contributions from local industry, including Discovery Communications, National Geographic, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and PBS. The analysis also does not include film festival contributions such as SILVERDOCS, which pumps at least $2.5 million into the local economy, excluding festival-goers' expenditures on hotel, transportation and dining.

Actor Will Smith; directors Michael Apted (49 UP), Steven Soderberg (Bubble) and Taylor Hackford (Ray); and industry chiefs Bary Meyer (Warner Bros.), Ron Meyer (Universal), Michael Lynton (Sony Pictures), and Brad Grey (Paramount) joined other key insiders to highlight the industry's enormous contributions but also explore what makes it such a threat to certain politicos and members of the public. Rep. Charles Rangel and Sens. Patrick Leahy and Dianne Feinstein offered their help in intellectual property protection efforts while former MPAA head Jack Valenti sat regally in a front row seat.

The symposium was an opportunity for MPAA to demonstrate to members of Congress that the entertainment industry is a multi-billion contributor to the nation's economy; as such, the movie biz needs Washington's protection against a $6 billion annual loss from piracy. While the daylong Hollywood primer focused on the perennial piracy issue, the symposium also explored entertainment in the digital age, the concept of intellectual property and how a movie gets made.

Will Smith, who headlined the symposium - held at the Smithsonian's newly restored Donald W. R e y n o l d s Center for American Art and Portraiture, - emphasized that piracy hurts everyone in the industry (carpenters, grips, wardrobe, cosmeticians) not just "me and Tom," presumably referring to pal Tom Cruise. Smith garnered laughs when he reported that many people confuse him with Sen. Barack Obama.

The evening ended with a private dinner honoring Academy Award winning director Clint Eastwood with the inaugural Jack Valenti Humanitarian Award, which is presented to an individual in the motion picture industry whose work has reached out positively and respectfully to all countries, creeds and cultures. James Cromwell (The Queen), Fox's Peter Chernin and Valenti fêted Eastwood, along with Taylor Hackford and many notable Washingtonians. Glickman cited Eastwood's two acclaimed movies about World War II as exemplifying the true power of movies: namely, to tell human interest stories and to inspire conversation about important topics. "It's kind of nice to have an Award named after me while I'm still alive," Valenti said. "That's cheerfully optimistic." Vintage Jack.