Congratulations Graduates

As Heartland Community High School’s class of 2017 graduates Sunday in Henderson, Nebraska, they’ll be joined by two special guests, each keeping a promise eight years in the making.

The guests are Brian Selznick, award-winning author/illustrator of “Wonderstruck” and “The Invention of Hugo Cabret,” and Suzanne Lloyd, the granddaughter of Nebraska-born silent film star Harold Lloyd.

How did Selznick (who lives in New York) and Lloyd (Los Angeles) come to be at a high school graduation ceremony in a tiny town of 1,000 in the middle of Nebraska? Well, that’s kind of a funny story. One that involves a silent film festival and a whole lot of letters to Johnny Depp. Read More

 

 
 

HAROLD YD, CINEMA LEGEND, RETURNS TO THE BIG SCREEN!

 

Cinesite Studios has announced a partnership with the Harold Lloyd Estate and Comic Animations to adapt Harold Lloyd’s films into a series of animated features. Harold Lloyd was a comedic genius and one of the most influential and successful filmmakers of early cinema. As an actor, comedian, stuntman, writer, director and producer, Lloyd made nearly 200 films between 1914 and 1947. He was a pioneer in the use of thrill sequences, daredevil physical feats, innovative camera angles, color in film and 3D photography. These tremendous accomplishments, along with the universal appeal of his stories, makes Harold Lloyd and his antics a natural for animation. Dave Rosenbaum, Cinesite’s Chief Creative Officer, Eamonn Butler, Cinesite’s Executive Animation Director and Suzanne Lloyd, granddaughter of Harold Lloyd and the owner of his film library, will collaborate on the adaptations. “Today’s films and filmmakers stand on the shoulders of Harold Lloyd with his innovations and unparalleled sense of story, camera and comedy,” said Rosenbaum. “It is an honor to work with Suzanne and the Harold Lloyd Estate.” “By donning unassuming glasses, Harold Lloyd became the boy next door everyone could relate to and he shot to stardom to enchant and entertain generations of film fans,” says Suzanne Lloyd. “I appreciate the opportunity to work with Dave Rosenbaum, Eamonn Butler and all the talented people at Cinesite to bring Harold’s comedy genius to the world in a new and innovative way. We need laughter now more than ever.” Prior to his death in 1971, Harold Lloyd reflected, “It’s amazing me to me that these comedies can still strike a responsive note of laughter with audiences of all ages and in all parts of the world. Laughter is the universal language. It establishes a common identity among people—regardless of other differences. It is the sweetest sound in the whole world.”