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Documentary Filmmaker Ken Burns Named Grand Marshal Of Rose Parade

PASADENA (CBSLA.com) — Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, known for directing and producing some of the most admired documentaries about the history of the United States, was announced Tuesday as the grand marshal of the 2016 Tournament of Roses Parade.

Burns, 62, has earned two Oscar nominations and other awards for his almost 40-year career making documentary films, including his 2009 film, "The National Parks: America's Best Idea", which was filmed over the course of more than six years at some of the country's most spectacular locales, from Yosemite to Yellowstone.

The filmmaker fittingly marked the announcement with a video posted on YouTube in which Burns said, "My family and I are thrilled to participate in the parade and the other activities that mark the new year."

The "Find Your Adventure" theme for the 2016 Rose Parade is a result of a unique partnership between the Pasadena Tournament of Roses and the U.S. National Park Service, which will celebrate its centennial in 2016, according to officials.

Burns quickly became known for his style of using archival footage and photographs in documentary films, characterized by slowly zooming in and panning to subjects of interest –deemed "The Ken Burns Effect."

Since the Academy Award nominated "Brooklyn Bridge" in 1981, Burns has gone on to direct and produce some of the most acclaimed historical documentaries ever made, including "The Civil War", "Lewis and Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery", and "Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson".]

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