AMERICAN CINEMATHEQUE
HONORS KEVIN GOETZ & SCREEN ENGINE
Entertainment research veteran KEVIN GOETZ and his company SCREEN ENGINE, a global leader in the industry, have been honored this month with the American Cinematheque’s prestigious Power of Cinema Award. The award was presented to GOETZ at a star-studded award ceremony at the Beverly Hilton Hotel this month, along with the American Cinematheque Award presented to renowned actress, Dame Helen Mirren.
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Following an introduction by the Power of Cinema sponsor, Hill Valley CEO, and American Cinematheque Board Member Eric Nebot, Jim Gianopulos, former studio head of 20th Century Fox and Paramount Pictures, presented the award to GOETZ at the event. In his remarks, Gianopulos said, “We all know the preview process informs both the final version of the film and the marketing strategy for its potential audience. It can be a celebratory event…but other times the audience fidgets. There are awkward silences, there are unintended laughs, and the scores come in looking pretty grim. This is when Kevin is truly the most important talent of them all. Where was the audience confused, bored, distracted, or out of the narrative flow of the movie? And how come all those people left early? Understanding what’s working, what isn’t, what’s holding back a part of that audience sitting out there in the dark and ‘why‘ is an art form in itself. In that, Kevin is Picasso.”
Among the celebrities in attendance supporting the honorees, were Harrison Ford, Bryan Cranston, Vin Diesel, Alan Cummings, Stefanie Powers, Patrick Stewart, Andrea Riseborough, and Pierce Brosnan.
Celebrating American Cinematheque’s mission, its Board of Directors established the “Power of Cinema Award” in 2021 to be given to an individual or organization whose actions through storytelling have advanced the significance of social relevance of films in today’s modern culture. GOETZ is the third recipient of this award previously presented to Jason Blum and Blumhouse, a film and television production company, and also to Participant, a media company dedicated to entertainment that inspires audiences to engage in positive social change.
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart to each and every one who has trusted me with your creative babies in front of a room full of strangers for the first time,” said GOETZ during his acceptance speech at the award ceremony. “Thank you to those who listened to bad news and hard truths when it was the last thing you really wanted to do, and who invited me and my company into your process to solve story challenges or a problematic third act. It has truly been an honor to play a small part in creating many cinematic successes alongside so many of you in this room.”
ABOUT KEVIN GOETZ
Kevin Goetz, a well-known personality within the entertainment industry, is currently a leading expert in the field of motion picture marketing and tech-enabled research. He is often the “go-to” person when filmmakers and studios need insights into how to fix or market their pictures. His company, Screen Engine, is one of the few firms in the world that conducts specialized research on Hollywood’s movies and television content. Goetz has been at the center of the research industry for more than three decades and has worked alongside all of the major film studio chiefs, network and streaming platform executives and production company decision-makers. Kevin wrote his first book published by Simon & Schuster, Audience•ology: How Moviegoers Shape the Films We Love, about an important aspect of his business— audience pre-release test screenings. Bringing his bestselling book to life, he is the host of the successful podcast, Don’t Kill the Messenger, and continues to educate up-and-coming filmmakers, deliver keynote speeches, and give talks and presentations around the world. Kevin has also produced 12 television movies including the Emmy-winning, Wild Iris. Kevin Goetz is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and several other distinguished organizations including The Television Academy and the Producers Guild of America.
ABOUT THE EVENT
The American Cinematheque’s mission is to celebrate the experience of cinema as a moving art form and create spaces where both the public and members of the film industry come together as a community with the common language and love of film. Established in 1984, the organization is a member-supported 501(c)(3) non-profit cultural arts organization dedicated to building an engaged film community through immersive film curation, conversation, and presentation. Since it first began showing films in theatres in 1985, the American Cinematheque has provided a wide range of film programming, with both new and repertory cinema, hosting screenings, panels and special events with thousands of filmmakers. The AC showcases 1,500 films a year; it connects the filmmaker to the audience and film history to its future, presenting in 35mm, 70mm, rare nitrate, and state-of-the-art-digital.
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Video Gallery
Share in the event through videos including a Behind the Scenes video with Kevin on the day of the event, the Full Power of Cinema Award Presentation honoring Kevin, and the Ceremony Tribute video complete with clips from leading industry executives and filmmakers.
An exclusive behind-the-scenes look at Kevin’s remarkable day when he received
the Power of Cinema Award from American Cinematheque in 2024 (6:26 mins).
The Power of Cinema award presentation section of the event honoring Kevin Goetz (30:15 mins).
The reel about Kevin produced by DG Entertainment for the American Cinematheque Awards (7:24 mins).
Photo Gallery
Power of Cinema Award Congratulations
You are blessed with this ability, and it’s like a superpower, and that ability is you make people feel good. And man, that’s special. And man, you know, it’s rare. So, congratulations. Keep making people feel good, our audiences who come and watch our movies.
“Test screening a film is a terrifying experience but having Kevin in the room makes me break out in hives a lot less. The audience insight he has provided for our films has been vital, and it’s truly a sight to behold watching him work his magic. His ability to connect with and get inside the minds of an audience is unmatched.”
“The film media loves to gossip about who has “final cut” on a movie, but professionals know that what some contract says doesn’t matter much because in reality, the audience has final cut if you want a commercial hit. But getting an unbiased understanding of what the audience really thinks is not simple. Kevin Goetz is a master in aiding in this effort, as this book so entertainingly reveals.”
“When I screen my movies, they are bad. Then Kevin asks the audience why they are bad. It is painful. Like re-breaking a leg so it heals right. Then somehow, with his help, we figure out what to do. Now that I think about it, he doesn’t get paid enough. But this book should make up the difference.”
“Kevin’s analysis of my movies has been invaluable over the years. With a comedy, the number one objective is to find out, is it funny, and how do we make it funnier. Kevin is the best in the business.”
“It takes about two years for my brother Bobby and I to make a movie—from writing it, casting it, shooting it, editing it—then one day you have to show it to the world and find out whether you just wasted two years of your life. Kevin is always at that nerve-wracking first screening—front and center—and thank God he is, because he’s like a movie whisperer who somehow knows all the right questions to ask the audience, so by the end of the night we know what’s working, and we know what’s not, and, most importantly, we know how to make the movie better.”
“On almost every comedy I have worked on in the last 20 years, Kevin has taken the movie through the testing process. Watching a focus group of your movies is like being in a bathroom stall at high school and hearing kids talk about you. Having Kevin there is always reassuring because he always is championing the filmmakers. He is THE guy when it comes to audience testing.”
“Kevin and his remarkable company serve as the last validator of those assumptions. Through his carefully crafted process of audience engagement, focus groups, and data mining, he has consistently been able to help find the line between what was intended and what actually worked. This critical work has, hands-down, been the determining factor in the success of my films.”
“I remember it like it was yesterday – the day of our first preview. Bohemian Rhapsody took me nearly 10 years to make. To say I was a ball of nerves is an understatement. When the lights came on, all I remember was seeing Kevin’s heartwarming smile from ear to ear. He leaned over and said, ‘You’ve got a massive hit on your hands,’ and all my nerves disappeared. Kevin is truly the best in the business.”
“Whether you sit behind the camera or in front of it, in film school or in an office on a studio lot, or just face a screen as a movie lover, Audience-ology sheds light on how moviegoer feedback holds a special place in the final stages of filmmaking. The explanation of how the test screening process works is illustrated with fascinating stories that are the lore of Hollywood. I only wish this book had existed when I first started out in the business.”
