DURHAM, N.H. - Award-winning documentary filmmaker Ken Burns will be at the University of New Hampshire Feb. 11, 2011, as part of the President's Distinguished Speakers series. The event, free and open to the public, takes place at 11 a.m. in the Granite State Room of the Memorial Union Building on Main Street. 

Burns' films are recognizable for his use of archival footage and photographs. Among his most notable movies are "Brooklyn Bridge" (1981), "The Statue of Liberty" (1985), "The Civil War" (1990), "Baseball" (1994) and "The War" (2007). "Brooklyn Bridge" and "The Statue of Liberty" were nominated for an Academy Award.

A December 2002 poll conducted by Real Screen Magazine listed "The Civil War" as second only to Robert Flaherty's "Nanook of the North" as the "most influential documentary of all time," and named Burns and Flaherty the "most influential documentary makers" of all time.

Burn's films have won 12 Emmy Awards, and in September of 2008, at the News & Documentary Emmy Awards, Burns was honored by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Burns was the director, producer, co-writer, chief cinematographer, music director, and executive producer of the Public Television series "Baseball." Four and a half years in the making and 18 1/2 hours long, it is the story of baseball from the 1840s to the present. Airing in September 1994, it became the most watched series in PBS history, attracting more than 45 million viewers.

His upcoming films include "Prohibition" (2011), which tells the story of America's attempts to regulate alcohol consumption, and morality, through the Eighteenth Amendment; "The Dust Bowl" (scheduled for 2012), "The Central Park Five" (2013) and "The Roosevelts" (2013).

A resident of Walpole, Burns is the recipient of more than 25 honorary degrees and is a sought after public speaker, appearing at colleges, civic organizations and business groups throughout the country.
To RSVP visit www.unh.edu/universityevents or call 603-862-3660.

For more information go to http://www.unh.edu/president/markhuddleston/events/KenBurns0211.html
The Distinguished Speakers Series recognizes leaders, thinkers, and celebrated individuals for their contributions to the world and brings them to the university to share what they have discovered with students, faculty, alumni, and guests.

The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space-grant university, UNH is the state's flagship public institution, enrolling 12,200 undergraduate and 2,300 graduate students.

A photo of Burns can be downloaded at: /unhtoday/sites/default/files/newsroom/img/KenBurns.jpg.

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