Wyler is the director of such film classics as Ben-Hur, Roman Holiday, The Best Years of Our Lives, Funny Girl, Mrs. Miniver, and Wuthering Heights. These screenings will be followed by a Q&A with faculty and special guest appearances from Wyler’s children and others.
Media Contact: Robby Piazzaroli, rpiazzaroli@fairfield.edu, 203-254-4000 x2597
Fairfield University will be hosting a series of events throughout 2024 to celebrate the life and artistic legacy of 20th Century legendary film Director William Wyler. Curated and coordinated by Jay Rozgonyi, associate vice provost for Pedagogical Innovation & Effectiveness and an instructor in the Educational Technology and Visual & Performing Arts Departments, four film screenings will take place on March 12, April 9, October 1, and November 19, at 6:30 p.m., on the second floor of the Fairfield University Store downtown, 1499 Post Road in Fairfield.
“It’s amazing that the man who received the most Oscar nominations for best director, and led more actors and actresses to Academy Awards, has been so often forgotten in discussions of great Hollywood filmmakers,” said Rozgonyi. “I think Fairfield University is the perfect place to host a course and other events this year to honor his great artistic legacy. I will be using my class, the public screenings, and the library exhibition to highlight Wyler’s strong social conscience, which is very much in line with the University’s Jesuit values.”
The catalyst for this film screening series is a film course offered by Rozgonyi that focuses on the amazing career of Wyler and his impact in American film history. The four-part screening series, in particular the accompanying library exhibition of photos, letters, contracts, papers, awards, and other material from Wyler’s personal and professional life, are being made possible through the generous support and participation of Catherine and Melanie Wyler, two of William Wyler’s daughters.
All screenings will feature light refreshments and will be followed by Q&A with Prof. Rozgonyi and guests.
“The Wyler Family is terribly proud that Fairfield’s University is offering a course, film screenings, and an exhibit on our father, film Director William Wyler, whose notable career spanned everything from silent two-reel westerns in the 1920s to prestigious high-budget features later in his career,” said Melanie Wyler. “He was notable for doing nearly every type of film, something that we don’t feel is recognized enough today, and we hope that Fairfield’s year-long focus on his work will introduce his classic films and artistic accomplishments to a new generation of movie fans.”
The following dates of film screenings will take place at 6:30 p.m. at the Fairfield University Store, 1499 Post Road, Fairfield, CT:
Wyler was nominated for a record 12 Best Director Academy Awards, winning three; was the fourth recipient of the American Film Institute’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 1976 - following Directors John Ford and Orson Welles. Among Wyler’s most famous films are classics Ben-Hur, Roman Holiday, The Best Years of Our Lives, Funny Girl, Mrs. Miniver, and Wuthering Heights.
Posted On: February 27, 2024
Volume: 55 Number: 77
Fairfield University is a modern, Jesuit Catholic University, rooted in one of the world’s oldest intellectual and spiritual traditions. More than 5,000 undergraduate and graduate students from 36 states, 47 foreign countries, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico are enrolled in the University’s five schools. In the spirit of rigorous and sympathetic inquiry into all dimensions of human experience, Fairfield welcomes students from diverse backgrounds to share ideas and engage in open conversations. The University is located in the heart of a region where the future takes shape, on a stunning campus on the Connecticut coast just an hour from New York City.