Two cinematic icons will be in Austin on Saturday to celebrate a new exhibit devoted to film preservation at the University of Texas (UT), according to Austin-based media outlets.
The university announced that Meryl Streep and Robert De Niro, along with film critic Leonard Maltin, will grace the “A Celebration of Film” event at the on-campus AT&T Hotel and Conference Center.
Per UT, the Harry Ransom Center is marking its 65th anniversary with the creation of an endowment in honor of the multi-award winning De Niro, whose work is a focal point of the facility’s latest exhibit.
Maltin, the author of “Leonard Maltin’s Movie Guide” and the gala’s master of ceremonies (MC), said in the release that access to primary sources is more important than ever “in an era of rumors and disinformation.”
“The Harry Ransom Center has long been a haven for researchers who deal with film history,” he said, per UT. “I applaud their continued efforts to acquire material from leading filmmakers. Whether it’s a first draft of a screenplay or a piece of wardrobe that helped an actor create a performance, this is history brought to vivid life.”
Austin NBC affiliate KXAN reported that the center is home to a collection of De Niro’s scripts, notes, posters and costumes that has spanned more than 50 years.
Born in 1943, the New York City born and raised De Niro is best known for films such as “The Godfather Part II,” “Taxi Driver” and “Cape Fear,” with two Academy Awards to his name.
“It is a large collection he started collecting when he was a young man, really keeping costume pieces for auditions and things like that,” Ransom Center film curator Steve Wilson told KXAN. “But also keeping his scripts and notes and things like that.”
According to Austin ABC affiliate KVUE, sibling actors Owen, Luke and Andrew Wilson will also be in the state capital for the celebration, hosting the Ransom Center’s first-ever ticketed, post-gala public event the same night.
The station reported that De Niro and Streep, who are longtime friends, acted together in “The Deer Hunter” and three other productions.