Media Legacy Event - Owen Gleiberman with a screening of Manhunter

Running time: 90 mins

Well before Silence of the Lambs became a box office sensation and earned Jodie Foster an Academy Award, Michael Mann's Manhunter introduced audiences to one of cinema's most memorable villains, Dr. Hannibal Lecktor. Based on the Thomas Harris novel, Red Dragon, and starring (pre-CSI) William Peterson as FBI profiler Will Graham, Manhunter grabs you by the throat, drags you down into the dark netherworld of serial killers and refuses to let you go. In his unmistakable style, director Mann continually ratchets up the tension and keeps you on the razor's edge, his mastery of suspense evident in every scene. Agent Graham, suffering deep psychological damage following his pursuit and capture of Dr. Lecktor, is in self-imposed retirement. But there's another serial killer on the loose, dubbed The Tooth Fairy, who murders on the full moon, leaves bite marks on his victims, and can't be caught. Will reluctantly joins the case and uses his uncanny ability to dive deeply into the mind of his prey, hoping to nab him before the next full moon. Yet even with his prodigious talent, Graham finds himself drawn to Lecktor, seeking help. Graham knows it's a dangerous plunge he's about to take, but he has no choice. Hang on for a delightfully nerve-wracking, thrilling ride. - P.D. Crane Owen Gleiberman - In 1970s Ann Arbor, Michigan, Owen Gleiberman would frequently venture into the city’s downtown and immerse himself in its thriving counter culture. Even at twelve years old, he had a precocious sensitivity to the dramatic changes he saw taking place, not only in politics (he carried around a transcript of the Chicago Seven trial), but also with fashion, music, art, theater, and film. The hippie energy and daring were forging a new pathway for the country and the Ann Arbor scene was at the vanguard of this exciting movement. Most importantly for Gleiberman, the era forged a new and different way of seeing. As a freshman, turned on by the numerous film societies at Michigan, Gleiberman began writing reviews for the university’s The Daily Michigan. Following graduation, with an assist from Pauline Kael, he landed a job as film critic for the Boston Phoenix, then moved on to become Entertainment Weekly’s primary reviewer in 1990. In 2004, Gleiberman took a few months off from EW before heading up film criticism at bbc.com. Though initially saddened that he no longer worked for EW, his many loyal readers eagerly followed his new postings. At bbc.com, with reviews twice as long as EW’s, Gleiberman has been able to fully "spread his wings" and explore the broader, deeper aspects of any given film. His new way of seeing infuses his criticism with intelligence, wit, insight, and artistic sensibility. His is a mature, yet playful, perspective, drawn from life-long experience, while still containing the delightful, wide-eyed enthusiasm of that downtown Ann Arbor middle-schooler. Cinequest is honored to present Owen Gleiberman with its Media Legacy Award.