Photo Credit: Gabriel Olsen/Getty Images for AARP
On February 23, PBS and AARP are teaming up to give audiences a different kind of awards show.
Sandwiched between the Golden Globes and the Oscars, AARP’s Movies for Grownups Awards hopes to honor the films, actors, and actresses that appealed to more mature audiences this year – think less superhero fare and more historical dramas and coming-of-age narratives. PBS’ Great Performances series is putting on the show which will be hosted by Tony award-winning actor Alan Cumming and feature some of the industry’s biggest names, including Dame Helen Mirren, who will be receiving this year’s Career Achievement Honor.
For David Horn, the executive producer of Great Performances, the chance to broadcast the awards show for the first time on television was one the network just couldn’t pass up.
“The situation with AARP, they’ve been doing this for so many years and they really wanted to get it on television and we think that they are kind of a perfect partner for us,” Horn tells Guideposts.org
With 38 seasons helming PBS’ Great Performances series under his belt, Horn is well-versed in bringing attention to films and productions that deserve it. His team puts on 16 shows a year, broadcasting everything from Broadway musicals to operas and GRAMMY legends tributes. It’s all part of the network’s mission to give the public some much-needed access to the arts.
“We really serve the underserved,” Horn explains. “We do something that nobody else does. The only kind of performance you find on broadcast is in an awards show. Most people don’t get a chance to see a Broadway show. They’re getting a chance to see an opera for the first time.”
AARP’s film critic and entertainment editor, Tim Appelo, thinks that the Movies for Grownups celebration also puts a spotlight on talent that doesn’t always get the recognition it deserves from other Hollywood awards shows.
“Talent seldom gets worse with experience — in what other business does mastering your craft hurt your career?” Appelo says. “We believe our awards, our sneak previews of films for 100,000 AARP members per year, and our advocacy for mature filmmakers helps not only mature viewers but the industry and the art form itself.”
AARP’s Movies for Grownups will be the first awards-type show Great Performances has produced and Horn wants to make sure it feels different from the others audiences will see this season. He promises fans will be treated to an in-depth look into the films nominated and the show will go out of its way to pay their respects to the talent that takes the stage.
“Hopefully we’re going to take a little bit more time because we are public television, to let you see what these performances were like rather than the kind of quick montage-y stuff,” Horn says. “I think the other difference is that when we give the award, we’ll have a presenter that has a connection with the person that can talk about that person in a personal way and give audiences an opportunity to see a bit of an extended performance to understand why that recipient was chosen. We’ll let the people speak. We’re not going to start playing music under them if they go on too long.”
Films like Get Out, Lady Bird, and The Shape of Water, and stars like Annette Benning, Daniel-Day Lewis, Judi Dench, and Tom Hanks are all up for awards this year which marks a concerted effort from the magazine to make the show appealing to all ages.
“We cast a broad net, focusing on films with talents over 50, but also recognizing movies that shatter the age barrier,” Appelo explains. “We made sure to honor everything from globe-conquering blockbusters to art-house films. The over-50 are responsible for 75% of art-house movie visits, 56% for Christian films, and 54% for independent films. Grownups have discriminating but varying taste.”
No matter who wins, Horn hopes highlighting the diverse and rich selection of entertainment for moviegoers over 50 will get people interested in the arts and bring them back to the Great Performances series for more.
“I think the arts are really, particularly the performance arts, are an expression of who we are as a culture,” Horn says. “I think that we’re really kind of the last outpost for a lot of people, not only even if you don’t have the resources, you may not have the ability to get out of your house and see a performance or a film. We need to provide that for people.”
And Appelo aims for the awards show and AARP’s Movies for Grownups coverage will remind audiences and the movie industry that experience in the arts is a good thing.
“The fact that 85% of the world’s top-grossing film actors are over 50 could be evidence that things are changing. And I really think that 17 years of AARP The Magazine’s Movies for Grownups Awards have helped change some minds,” Appelo says. “Now that we’re a TV show on [a] prestigious network [like PBS], I’ll bet we’ll change some more minds soon.”
