[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 147 (Monday, October 1, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2023]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       HONORING JEAN PICKER FIRSTENBERG, AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. NANCY PELOSI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, October 1, 2007

  Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I rise today in tribute to a great 
American pioneer, Jean Picker Firstenberg, the outgoing President and 
CEO of the American Film Institute. Her 27-year tenure has marked AFI 
as one of America's greatest national cultural and educational 
resources. Under Jean Picker Firstenberg's visionary leadership, AFI 
has fulfilled its mission of excellence in screen education and the 
recognition and celebration of excellence in the art of film, 
television and digital media.
  From the moment she joined AFI in 1980, Firstenberg was effective 
from the start, acquiring an 8-acre campus in Los Angeles, and 
accrediting the AFI Conservatory through the National Association of 
Schools of Art and Design.
  In the 1980s, Firstenberg incorporated television and video into 
AFI's work, and established the AFI Los Angeles International Film 
Festival, AFI FEST, which has become a world-renowned annual event.
  In the 1990s, she embraced the digital revolution, starting with the 
AFI-Apple Computer Center for Film and Videomakers, and adding the AFI 
Media and Technology division, the AFI Digital Content Lab, and Virtual 
AFI Web sites (AFI.com, AFIFEST.com, and SIL VERDOCS.com.
  Firstenberg has brought the art and science of storytelling to 
children through the AFI K-12 Screen Education Center that utilizes the 
advantages of digital and Internet technology to teach core subjects in 
America's schools, and to the general public through the AFI Showcase 
at the Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park in Orlando, Florida that depicts 
AFI programs and projects to millions of guests each year.
  Firstenberg has celebrated the diverse talents and creativity of 
American filmmakers in the innovative AFI's 100 Years . . . 100 Movies 
series she began in 1998. Millions of Americans have revisited old 
favorites and discovered new classics with the AFI series, which 
includes 100 Years . . . 100 Stars (1999), 100 Years . . . 100 Laughs 
(2000), 100 Years . . . 100 Thrills (2001), 100 Years . . . 100 
Passions (2002), Years . . . 100 Heroes & Villains (2003),100 Years . . 
. 100 Songs, (2004), 100 Years . . . 100 Quotes (2005), and 100 Years . 
. . 100 Cheers (2006).

  Another milestone, reached in 2003, was the opening of the AFI Silver 
Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, MD, a state-of-the-art 
center for the moving image arts. It hosts SILVERDOCS, a film festival 
for aspiring documentary filmmakers, and anchors a revitalized 
community.
  Firstenberg has continually embraced new media and blazed a trail for 
others to follow. She is rightfully proud of 27 years of funding the 
Directors Workshop for Women. Most of the women directors working in 
the film industry today come from this program.
  As she prepares to take leave of her day-to-day responsibilities at 
AFI, she will continue her service in her capacity as a lifetime 
trustee and through her legacy as a mentor, entrepreneur and role 
model. She will do so with the love and support of her family, 
particularly her daughter, Debra and her husband Michael Kusma, and 
their children Rachel, Sarah, and Christopher; her son Doug, his wife 
Suzanne, and their children Samantha, Drew, and Lindy; and her brother 
David Picker, and his wife, Sandy. Firstenberg's commitment to 
excellence and ethics in filmmaking is best captured by her AFI 
Conservatory graduates who describe her this way: ``She has made AFI a 
place committed to the notion that television and film are more than 
commerce or technology--they are our investment in the future; in fact, 
our legacy. That we are to be held responsible for the images we 
perpetuate in the culture. And that one institute would take on the 
task of encapsulating the hard truths and dreams of a nation by 
preparing the storytellers of its future.''
  Madam Speaker, I ask the Congress of the United States to recognize 
the vision, talent and contributions that Jean Picker Firstenberg has 
made to enrich our cultural heritage and to encourage future 
generations to capture the imagination and innovation of the American 
people.

                          ____________________