EXPERTS ADVISORY

ANN ARBOR—The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences has announced the 2015 Oscar nominations, with “Birdman” and “Grand Budapest Hotel” earning nine nominations each, including best picture. Faculty from the University of Michigan’s screen arts & cultures program in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts are available to comment on the 87th annual Academy Awards, airing Feb. 22. They are:

Frank Beaver, professor emeritus of screen arts & cultures, has published extensively on the art and history of motion pictures. His interests include socio-political history of the motion picture with particular focus on social criticism of film, and on statutory and self-regulatory controls of motion picture expression. He serves as general editor of Simon and Schuster’s Twayne Filmmakers Book Series, and is a long-time film commentator for Michigan Radio. Contact: 734-764-0420, fbeaver@umich.edu. Bio: myumi.ch/aAneL

Jim Burnstein, director of the screenwriting program at U-M, is a successful Hollywood screenwriter whose credits include “Renaissance Man,” the 1994 comedy directed by Penny Marshall and starring Danny DeVito; “D3: The Mighty Ducks” (1996–1997); and “Love and Honor,” the 2013 drama starring Liam Hemsworth, co-written with Garrett Schiff. He also served on the Michigan Film Office Advisory Council from 2003 to 2011. Contact: 734-615-9478, elsinore72@mac.com. Bio: myumi.ch/aG0bL

Phil Hallman is the film studies field librarian for the screen arts & cultures program, where he is responsible for building and collecting the libraries’ books and periodicals related to cinema studies, including two major collections related to the film auteurs/mavericks Orson Welles and Robert Altman. He has strong interests in film exhibition, particularly drive-in movie theaters and film festivals. Contact: 734-615-0445, phallman@umich.edu. Bio: myumi.ch/aZn9a