Oscar-nominee Michael Shannon to be honored with RiverRun's 2011 Emerging Master Award!

We said we had more tricks up our sleeves at the launch party last week, and we weren't kidding.  First and most exciting of these announcements is that rising star Michael Shannon will be coming to RiverRun this year to be honored with our Emerging Master Award!  Shannon was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role in Sam Mendes' Revolutionary Road, stealing scenes amid a cast of Leo, Kate Winslet, and Kathy Bates no less.  He's built quite a resume for himself in recent years, with memorable turns in films like The Runaways, Bug, Werner Herzog's visionary My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done (a RiverRun 2010 showpiece), Sidney Lumet's Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, and more recently the Emmy award-winning HBO series Boardwalk Empire.  Shannon also starred in UNCSA alum Jeff Nichols' debut feature Shotgun Stories, which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival in 2007, and stars in Nichols' newest film Take Shelter, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year.  The film was purchased by Sony Pictures Classics before the festival even opened and will receive a theatrical release later this year.

We'll be holding a free and open-to-the-public conversation with Michael Shannon on Monday, April 11 at 6:30 in UNCSA's Babcock Theatre (in the ACE Cinematheque Complex), and tickets will be available beginning tomorrow (March 16).  Please note that tickets are limited to two per person as space is limited.  Previous Emerging Masters include Ramin Bahrani (Goodbye Solo) and David Gordon Green (George Washington).  Keep checking back for further updates, and follow us on facebook and twitter for up-to-the-minute information as it's announced!  And for your viewing pleasure, check out this fantastic scene from Revolutionary Road for exhibit A on Shannon's talent in front of the camera.