Celebration Of Artistic Freedom Oscar Viewing Party Honoring Martin Sheen & Terry George February 27, 2005

3rd Annual Celebration Of Artistic Freedom To Honor Emmy Award-Winner Martin Sheen And Oscar Nominee Terry George, Writer/Director Of ?Hotel Rwanda,? At Academy AwardsŽ Benefit Gala

The City of West Hollywood and The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute Host an Oscar-Viewing Event Benefiting Amnesty International USA and ACLU Foundation of Southern California

LOS ANGELES, CA --- Actor/Activist Martin Sheen and Writer/Director, Terry George will have much to celebrate on Oscar Night, February 27th, 2005 as The 3rd annual Celebration of Artistic Freedom presents them with honors at an Oscar-Viewing gala hosted by The City of West Hollywood and The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute, benefiting Amnesty International and the ACLU Foundation of Southern California. The event will take place at Robert De Niro?s West Hollywood restaurant, AGO (8478 Melrose Ave), beginning at 4:00 pm with red-carpet arrivals from such stars as Khandi Alexander, Ellen Burstyn, Danny Glover, Rebecca De Mornay, Martin Landau, Mira Sorvino, Harrison Ford, Ed Harris, Anjelica Huston, Julie Delpy, Jake Gyllenhaal and many more. Many prominent industry leaders are expected to attend and support creative excellence for the artistic community.

The event, described as the ?party with a purpose,? focuses on human and civil rights, while honoring creative excellence. The 500-person charity event boasts its own Artist of Conscience Award ceremony following an Oscar-viewing dinner. This year, Emmy Award-winner Martin Sheen has agreed to accept the organizations? recognition of his unwavering commitment to equality and dignity for all communities.

Terry George will be presented the ARTISTIC FREEDOM HONOR by Paul Rusesabagina, the former hotel manager who sheltered about 1000 people at the Hotel des Milles Collines in Kigali, Rwanda, played by Don Cheadle in the film. Mr. Rusesabagina is the recipient of the 2000 Immortal Chaplains Prize for Humanity, and Amnesty International?s ?Enduring Spirit? Award.

The event will feature a live multi-large screen Oscar-telecast dinner reception and a Celebration of Visual Art-themed silent auction which encompasses photography, paintings and sculpture from such talent as Tony Bennett, Jeff Bridges, Ellen Burstyn, Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer, Viggo Mortensen, Hiro Yamagata and others. The silent auction also boasts a spectacular grand prize of a ?Being Julia? themed trip to London. The live Oscar-telecast and Silent Auction will be followed by an after-party. The party?s theme is expected to be a strong draw among both artists and the community alike.

TICKETS AND SPONSORSHIP INFO:
Tickets are available by calling (310) 242-6446, or by visiting our website at
www.celebrateartisticfreedom.com . Sponsorships are available for this event by contacting Mark Poncher, Executive Producer, or Alma Bogdan-Turner, Associate Producer at (310) 242-6446.

For more information on the organizations involved with Celebration of Freedom of the Arts, please visit their respective websites City of West Hollywood www.weho.org; The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute www.strasberg.com; Amnesty International USA www.aiusa.org and ACLU Foundation
of Southern California www.aclu-sc.org

PRESS / CONTACT INFO
The event is produced by the RoundBoxx Group, a producer of large scale public and private events. More information available at www.roundboxx.com.

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Stacey Kumagai, Media Monster Communications, Inc. 818-506-8675 or [email protected]

James Michael Hughes
323-650-7777 or [email protected]

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