Restored FUNNY GIRL to Open TCM Film Festival, 4/25

Giant (1956) - World Premiere Restoration
George Stevens directed this sprawling adaptation of Edna Ferber's Texas saga starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson and James Dean. This 4K restoration from the original camera negative was completed by Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging under the direction of George Stevens Jr.

The Great Escape (1963) - World Premiere of 50th Anniversary Restoration
Steve McQueen heads an all-star cast in this blockbuster World War II tale based on actual events. The Great Escape was restored by Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios at Deluxe Digital Media using a 4K scan of the original camera negative. The restoration entailed hundreds of hours of digital restoration to address significant damage and fading.

Additional screenings, events and talent appearances for the 2013 TCM Classic Film Festival will be announced over the coming months. Information about the festival - including video and photos from past festivals - can be found at www.tcm.com/festival.

The TCM Classic Film Festival launched in spring 2010 and has established itself as a destination event. Each year, the festival welcomes 25,000 movie fans from around the globe to enjoy more than a hundred screenings and events.

TCM host and film historian Robert Osborne serves as official host of the 2013 TCM Classic Film Festival, with TCM's Ben Mankiewicz also introducing films and events during the festival. The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, which has a longstanding role in movie history and was the site of the first Oscars® ceremony, will once again serve as the official hotel for the festival, as well as a central gathering point for attendees. Screenings and events will also be held at Grauman's Chinese Theatre, the Chinese 6 Theatres and the Egyptian Theatre. The Hollywood Roosevelt will also offer special rates for festival attendees.

Cinematic Journeys: Travel in the Movies, the theme for the 2013 TCM Classic Film Festival, will explore how movies can carry viewers beyond their hometowns to distant or imaginary locales, where they can be transformed by great storytelling. Often, the mode of travel provides the filmic inspiration, whether it's planes, trains, or automobiles. At other times, the trip itself serves as the central narrative, as in the case of many "road movies." With Hollywood as the starting point, TCM's cinematic excursion will take festival attendees on a fascinating journey to worlds both familiar and new.