Film Society to honor Ubisoft

This Thursday, the New York City-based Film Society of Lincoln Center will hold Semper Ubi: Ubisoft and the Art of Games, an all-day celebration of the publisher honoring its contributions to the medium. From noon until 7 p.m., attendees can enter the Players Lounge in the Walter Reade Theater Gallery, where they can play a variety of new and upcoming Ubisoft games, including Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie.

At 7:30 p.m., the celebration will adjourn to the Walter Reade Theater proper, where the crowd will watch highlights of the company's in-game and CGI footage, behind-the-scenes and making-of material, and onstage presentations from Prince of Persia producer Ben Mattes, Colonel John Antal of Brothers in Arms, and the Ubisoft Montpellier studio's Xavier Poix, who will preview scenes from the new King Kong game. Also performing at the event will be DJ Green Lantern, who is featured in Ubisoft's upcoming AND 1 Streetball game.

So why is a film society honoring a game company?

"The Film Society of Lincoln Center is interested in innovative moving imagery across all media," said the Society's director of communications, Graham Leggat. "While its forte is film, for years on end the Film Society has presented a wide variety of cutting-edge programs. There is no question in my mind that video games have legitimate aesthetic virtues as well as being incredibly exciting and enjoyable, and that a good game holds its own with any other art or high-end entertainment experience."

Admission to the entire event is $10 for the general public, $7 for members, and $6 for students. Admission to just the Players Lounge part of the festivities is $5.