Coolidge Corner Theatre Honors Filmmaker Jonathan Demme

BOSTON — Every year the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline selects and honors a film artist for embodying the spirit of challenging cinema.

Previous celebrants include the eccentric Quay Brothers, enduring actress Meryl Street, Italian cinematorgrapher Vittorio Storaro, and Chinese director Zhang Yimouu.

This year it’s director Jonathan Demme’s turn.

Demme has been making movies since the 1970s, and he directed classic films such as the Talking Heads concert film, “Stop Making Sense” and “Swinning to Cambodia,” featuring now-deceased performance artist Spalding Grey.

But Demme might be best known for his chilling, Academy Award-winning thriller, “Silence of the Lambs,” starring Jodi Foster and Anthony Hopkins.

More recently, in 2008, Demme directed “Rachel Getting Married.”

Panel discussions, tributes and screenings from his filmography are planned for February and March.

The director will travel to Brookline the weekend of March 2 to pick up his award and party with colleagues and fans at the Coolidge.