2011 Screen on the Green SAVED?

• Cliff Dix Jr.
• Screen Giveth, and Taketh Away and Giveth?

This might not be over yet!

A press conference has been announced for this afternoon which could confirm rumors of 13th hour bid to save the series.

Here’s the story in the Business Chroncile:

“Screen on the Green announcement coming Wednesday

Like a dramatic rescue at the end of a movie, could “Screen on the Green” be saved?

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed has scheduled a May 25 press conference at 3 p.m. and said the Piedmont Park Conservancy would have a “major announcement.” Also expected to be in attendance are officials from Delta Air Lines, officials from Georgia Natural Gas, members of the Atlanta City Council and members of the Piedmont Park Conservancy, according to a statement from Reed’s office.

The Piedmont Park Conservancy announced May 10 it canceled the 2011 season of Screen on the Green
because the conservancy was unable to find a partner to produce the event after the management of Peachtree TV — its former sponsor — had changed. Turner Broadcasting System had provided the funding for the Peachtree TV sponsorship.

Peachtree TV told the conservancy in January it would no longer produce the popular free open-air film series, and the conservancy had been trying to find other sponsors.

But the announcement stated the conservancy ran out of time to put on the series this year. Usually, the weekly movie series takes place in June.

The conservancy did say it still holds the permit for an annual summer film festival and it remains committed to finding the necessary funding to host the Screen on the Green in 2012.”

This much I know. After pulling a 180 in his arts funding cuts, and then stepping in to facilitate a solution to this program, Mayor Reed is finally showing the kind of leadership that defines a legacy.