CINE: Who We Are, What We Do
What is CINE? What does it do?
The CINE Golden Eagle Award has been recognized as a mark of excellence throughout the film and television industry for over 50 years. Since its founding in 1957, CINE has been instrumental in promoting the careers of thousands of filmmakers through juried competitions, educational programs, and networking opportunities. As the industry has evolved, CINE has adapted its programs and competitions to assure that the CINE Golden Eagle continues to provide prestigious peer recognition to established and emerging filmmakers.
The Competition and CINE Golden Eagle Award
The CINE Golden Eagle Film and Video Competitions, held each Spring and Fall, involve hundreds of volunteer media and content specialists who judge entries in several moving-image genres. Over the years, the judging procedure has evolved into an efficient multi-stage jury process to determine which productions are deserving of the coveted CINE Golden Eagle Award.
The CINE Golden Eagle Award acknowledges high quality production in a variety of content categories for professional, independent and student filmmakers. Each year, hundreds of jurors judge nearly 1,000 entries in 32 categories. The names and descriptions of the productions receiving awards can be found by visiting the winners’ page of this website.
CINE has a remarkable track record for the early recognition of excellence in filmmaking, particularly among new and emerging filmmakers. Many prominent members of the film and television industry have received the CINE Golden Eagle Award, and for some — such as Ken Burns and Steven Spielberg — it was their first major award. Ron Howard was a teenager, Robert Zemeckis a college student, and Mike Nichols a young comic when each won his Golden Eagle, and hundreds of other distinguished filmmakers, producers and journalists have since followed in their footsteps, some in CINE’s early years (Mel Brooks, 1963) and others in the present day (Martin Scorsese, 2006). For members of the film and television industry, the CINE Golden Eagle Award is an acknowledgment of excellence and validation by their peers.
Under a recent agreement between Snag Films and CINE, winners of the CINE Golden Eagle in certain documentary categories are eligible for distribution on SnagFilms, the revolutionary online distribution system.
In addition, CINE continues to maintain relationships with overseas festivals WorldMediaFest and Ekotop, which gives CINE winners the opportunity to have their work viewed in international competition.
Competitive Awards
The CINE Special Jury Award is given annually to the best film in each of CINE’s 32 categories. All of the Special Jury Award winners become eligible for the CINE Masters Series Awards (for Professional Broadcast, Non-Broadcast and Independent winners) and the CINE Award of Excellence (for the Student Division). These awards recognize the "best of the best" and are presented at the CINE Golden Eagle Awards Event, held annually in Washington, D.C.
Monetary and In-Kind Awards
At CINE’s 2008 and 2009 Awards Ceremony, the winners of the CINE Award of Excellence for the Student Division received the Chubb/CINE Student Scholarship, which included a monetary award and a rights clearance grant from the Chubb Group of Insurers. These student winners also received a film stock grant from Kodak. The Masters Series Award winners in the Independent Division received a generous post-production grant from CINE's long-time sponsor, Henninger Media Services.
CINE Honorary Awards
The CINE Lifetime Achievement Award expresses recognition and gratitude to the pinnacle leaders in the world of film and video whose lifetime contribution and great service are continuing to leave a profound impact on our culture. Recent honorees have included 2009 honoree Judy Woodruff, Edward James Olmos, Ted Turner, Sheila Nevins, Sharon Percy Rockefeller, Roger Ebert and Albert Maysles.
The CINE Leadership Award honors a distinguished person in the film and video industry who has advanced or enhanced the quality of the media through outstanding leadership. Recent honorees have included Clark Bunting, John Hendricks, Tim Kelly, Pat Mitchell, Bill Moyers, Ken Burns, Stanley Nelson and Bonnie Hammer.
In addition, CINE presents the Trailblazer Award for unique achievements within the industry. Past recipients include Ted Leonsis, Gwen Ifill, Tom and Dick Smothers, D A Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, and Alan and Susan Raymond.
Sponsors
CINE has always been fortunate to partner with organizations that value CINE’s mission of serving emerging and established film, video and new media professionals. We are extremely grateful for the generous support of our current sponsors: History, SnagFilms, Henninger Media Services, the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies, Discovery Communications, CNN and Kodak. Read more about our Sponsors.
The Organization
A national Board of Directors comprised of over 20 representatives from the media industry oversees the business of CINE. We have representatives from major networks, as well as a number of distinguished independent producers, consultants and media attorneys. Our current president is Rita Mullin, VP of Development at TLC. Wendy Revel is the Executive Director of CINE, and Betsy Walters is the Director of Competitions. Read more about our Board and Staff.
