Kevin Brownlow helped spread the word on silent film era

For the first time in its history, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is presenting one of its coveted annual honorary awards to a film preservationist. Kevin Brownlow, the revered British film historian, documentarian, author and preservationist, was chosen by the academy's Board of Governors for his "wide and devoted chronicling of the cinematic parade."

"He is such a global ambassador for film restoration and film history," says Caroline Frick, curator of the George Eastman House film archive. "The award is a celebration of scholarship, understanding the value of film history and how film history changes over time."

Visual effects supervisor Craig Barron, who nominated Brownlow, says that Brownlow "devoted his life to preserving and celebrating the silent era and the artists who made the films. He is universally recognized as the silent film historian."...