The USA Film Festival, one of the nation's foremost cultural organizations dedicated to the recognition of excellence in the film and video arts, will present its Great Director Tribute to Milos Forman in conjunction with a special preview screening of his new film Goya’s Ghosts on Thursday, July 19, in Dallas. The evening will include a film-clip compilation tribute and a screening of Goya’s Ghosts, followed by an on stage Q&A session with Milos Forman.

USA FILM FESTIVAL’S GREAT DIRECTOR TRIBUTE -- Since 1971, the Festival has regularly paid tribute to artists who have made enduring contributions to the film arts. Previous honorees include George Cukor, Frank Capra, George Stevens, Sydney Pollack, Michael Powell, Norman Jewison, John Cassavetes, Arthur Penn, Stanley Donen, Robert Altman, John Frankenheimer, Martin Ritt, Richard Brooks, Sidney Lumet, Mervyn LeRoy, William Wyler, Raoul Walsh, King Vidor, Alan J. Pakula, Budd Boetticher, Robert Benton, Michael Apted, Wim Wenders, and William Friedkin.

GOYA’S GHOSTS -- From two-time Academy Award® winning director Milos Forman and three-time Academy Award® winning producer Saul Zaentz, GOYA’S GHOSTS is a sweeping historical epic, told through the eyes of celebrated Spanish painter Francisco Goya (STELLAN SKARSGARD). Set against the backdrop of political turmoil at the end of the Spanish Inquisition and start of the invasion of Spain by Napoleon’s army, the film captures the essence and beauty of Goya’s work which is best known for both the colorful depictions of the royal court and its people, and his grim depictions of the brutality of war and life in 18th century Spain. JAVIER BARDEM is Brother Lorenzo, an enigmatic, cunning member of the Inquisition’s inner circle who becomes infatuated with Goya’s teenage muse, Ines (NATALIE PORTMAN), when she is falsely accused of heresy and sent to prison.

Visually sumptuous, operatic in style, concurrently poetic and grotesque, Goya’s Ghosts is another stunning addition to Forman’s masterful body of work.

Goya’s Ghosts is rated R and opens in select cities on July 20, 2007.

MILOS FORMAN – Milos Forman is a citizen of the world, and his films reflect a universal eclecticism. His body of work (best seen on the big screen) explores such disparate genres as the musical (Hair), the historical epic (Ragtime), and the biopic (Man on the Moon). A two-time Oscar winner (for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Amadeus), he is one of a handful of foreign directors who has migrated to Hollywood and achieved international success without being pigeon-holed by nationality or genre, combining and assimilating the best of both European and American filmmaking traditions.

Forman's films -- reflecting the spirit of an artist who escaped Czechoslovakia's Cold War-era totalitarian regime -- celebrate individuality and rebellion. From The Firemen's Ball to One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest to The People vs. Larry Flynt, he has brilliantly tweaked society's hypocrisies and mediocrity with forceful, anarchic energy. Forman has visualized some of the most potent and challenging characters ever brought to the screen, investigating the intricacies and exploring the troubling contradictions of the human psyche.

With the release of his new film, we are again reminded that, in his fifth decade as a filmmaker, Milos Forman continues to be one of world cinema's most fascinating, and least predictable, artists.

Tickets for the program are free and will be available exclusively to USA Film Festival members and to the public (based on availability). For additional information on the tribute event, call the USA Film Festival at 214-821-6300.

About the USA Film Festival -- Now in its 38th year, the USA Film Festival is a Dallas-based, 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to the encouragement and recognition of excellence in the film and video arts. The Festival’s year round programs and events include KidFilm®, Oscar Night® America Dallas, special programs and premieres, and the USA Film Festival Week, held each spring. The USA Film Festival is sponsored by American Airlines and Blockbuster Inc. Support for this program has also been provided by the City of Dallas, Office of Cultural Affairs.