Rivkin Accepts “Power of Cinema” Award From American Cinematheque on Behalf of the MPA
Chairman and CEO Charles Rivkin accepted the Power of Cinema Award, on behalf of the Motion Picture Association, at the 39th annual American Cinematheque Awards. The following are his remarks, as prepared for delivery:
Donna – thanks for your kind words. How great to be introduced by such a wonderful friend, essential MPA board member, and indispensable voice for NBCUniversal and our entire industry.
What a thrill for me to accept the Power of Cinema Award from American Cinematheque, on behalf of the Motion Picture Association.
Members of my team have joined me tonight, along with my son, Eli. But let’s face it: like the rest of us, myself included, they’re really here to see Michael B. Jordan.
Even so, I truly believe that we, at the MPA, have some of the best jobs in the world.
Because every day, from statehouses, to the halls of Congress, to capitals overseas – our job is to fight for you.
We fight to protect content – and empower the people who make it.
We fight to ensure that this iconic American industry can reach even bigger audiences in every market, in every corner of our country, and in every region on the planet.
We fight for the casts and crews who bring magic to our screens and jobs to our communities.
When you dream up great stories, we, at the MPA, champion your rights to tell them.
When you produce irreplaceable works of art, we work to defend them.
When piracy threatens your productions, we act to safeguard them.
When the world feels uncertain, and the future unpredictable, we go to the mat for your freedom:
Your freedom to keep pushing the envelope – and pushing the boundaries of imagination.
Your freedom to speak and innovate — to give us something to watch and reason to wonder.
That freedom can never be taken for granted.
That freedom is fundamental to filmmaking, to our democracy, to our way of life.
That freedom must always be preserved.
Because freedom fuels the unique power of this medium:
The power to inspire and challenge.
The power to make us hope and make us think.
The power to transport – and the power to transform.
That is the power of cinema.
So on behalf of the MPA, thank you, American Cinematheque, tor this incredible honor.