Actress Annette Bening and filmmaker David O. Russell will be honored with Vision Award at the 13th annual Sun Valley Film Festival (SVFF) taking places February 28 – March 3, 2024.
“With such beloved films as Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle and The Fighter David O. Russell has earned a place among America’s most imaginative filmmakers, and with her memorable performances in such diverse projects as Bugsy, 20th Century Women and most recently Nyad, Annette Bening continues to build a spectacular career. We’re proud to honor both with Vision Awards this year,” said SVFF founder Teddy Grennan and SVFF director Candice Pate in a joint statement.
The SVFF Vision Awards pay tribute to industry icons whose contributions to the art of cinema have changed the industry for the better. Bening and Russell will both be honored at the Vision Dinner on Friday, March 1 and additionally take part in Coffee Talks to discuss their career achievements. Russell will also participate in a screening and Q&A of his ten-time Oscar-nominated crime drama American Hustle on Saturday, March 2; in advance of the festival, SVFF will also host a special screening of his 2012 comedy romance hit Silver Linings Playbook at the Argyros Theatre on February 1. Bening will participate in a special screening of the 2023 short Ten Thousand Mile Bridge on February 29.
Annette Bening is a venerated actress across stage and screen. Most recently starring as swimmer Diana Nyad in Nyad, which she received a SAG Award Best Actress nomination. Her other prominent film credits include The Report, Death on the Nile, 20th Century Women, The Kids Are Alright, American Beauty, The American President, The Grifters and Bugsy. Bening is a Tony Award and four-time Academy Award nominee, and two-time Golden Globe and SAG Award winner. Onstage, she was recently seen in the Broadway revival of Arthur Miller’s classic All My Sons, for which she earned a Tony Award nomination. She previously received a Tony nomination for her critically acclaimed role in Coastal Disturbances. She will soon be seen in Poolman alongside Danny DeVito, directed by and co-starring Chris Pine.
For three decades, David O. Russell has earned a reputation as an original visionary through his work as a film writer, director and producer. Among his best-known features are The Fighter, Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle, I Heart Huckabees, Three Kings, Flirting with Disaster and Spanking the Monkey. Russell has been nominated for five Academy Awards and four Golden Globes, along with three WGA Awards and two DGA Awards. He has won dozens of industry awards including four Independent Spirit Awards, two BAFTA Awards and numerous film critics and film festival awards. Russell is the only director to have two consecutive films, Silver Linings Playbook in 2012 and American Hustle in 2013, receive Academy Award nominations in all four acting categories.
Past SVFF Vision Award honorees include Josh Brolin, Geena Davis, Clint Eastwood, Gal Gadot, Woody Harrelson, Ethan Hawke, Gwyneth Paltrow, Amy Poehler, Meg Ryan and Oliver Stone. Additional 2024 festival honorees and programming will be announced before the festival.