Todd Haynes will be presented with this year’s Director Tribute at the 25th Annual IFP Gotham Independent Film Awards. Each year, the Director Tribute is awarded to a veteran filmmaker with unique vision who has made a significant contribution to the motion picture industry.
In its press release the IFP states that Todd Haynes exemplifies the true independent spirit, with a career spanning over the last three decades and a truly extraordinary and uncompromising body of work. Haynes made his directorial debut in 1987 with the controversial short film Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story, using Barbie dolls to portray the life and death of singer Karen Carpenter. His feature film debut followed in 1991 with the provocative Poison, which went on to win the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance, spearheading what would become known as the New Queer Cinema. Haynes’s second feature, Safe, was later voted the best film of the 90’s by the Village Voice’s Critic Poll. Haynes’s next film, Velvet Goldmine, premiered in Official Selection at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival, where it received a Special Jury Prize. This was followed by Far From Heaven (2002), which received four Oscar nominations, including one for Haynes’ Original Screenplay. His 2007 film, I’m Not There, imagined the life and work of Bob Dylan through the guise of seven fictional characters, and once again won him mass critical acclaim. In 2011, Haynes directed and co-wrote Mildred Pierce, a five-hour mini-series, which garnered 21 Emmy nominations, winning five of them, in addition to three Golden Globes Awards. His latest feature film, Carol, premiered in the Official Selection of the 2015 Cannes Films Festival, where Rooney Mara was awarded the prize for Best Actress. The much-anticipated film, which also stars Cate Blanchett, is scheduled for release in November 2015.
“We are thrilled to present the Director Tribute to Todd Haynes in our 25th Anniversary year” said Joana Vicente, Executive Director, IFP and Made in NY Media Center. “Todd’s career exemplifies precisely the kind of visionary, independent filmmaking the Gotham Awards first began championing in 1991. We’re also honored to celebrate screenwriting this year for the first time, finally giving due credit to the significance of this craft to independent film as an art form.”
The eight competitive Gotham Awards include Best Feature, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Documentary, Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director, Breakthrough Actor, Audience Award, and now Best Screenplay. Recent past winners include Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), CITIZENFOUR, and Boyhood (2014) Inside Lleywn Davis, Fruitvale Station and The Act of Killing (2013); Moonrise Kingdom, Beasts of the Southern Wild and How to Survive a Plague (2012);Beginners, The Tree of Life and Better This World (2011); all of which went on to win numerous awards and garner Oscar™ nominations.
Last year the organization honored director Bennett Miller, actress Tilda Swinton, and Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos.
Todd Haynes and the additional Gotham Awards tribute recipients to be announced will join a prestigious group of previous honorees including: Jeff Skoll, James Schamus, Bob & Harvey Weinstein, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Sheila Nevins, Jonathan Sehring and film critic Roger Ebert; actors Matt Damon, Marion Cotillard, Charlize Theron, Stanley Tucci, Natalie Portman, Javier Bardem, and Penélope Cruz; filmmakers David O. Russell, David Cronenberg, Mira Nair and Gus Van Sant.People
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Todd Haynes to Receive Director Tribute at IFP’s 25th Gotham Independent Film Awards
Todd Haynes will be presented with this year’s Director Tribute at the 25th Annual IFP Gotham Independent Film Awards. Each year, the Director Tribute is awarded to a veteran filmmaker with unique vision who has made a significant contribution to the motion picture industry.
In its press release the IFP states that Todd Haynes exemplifies the true independent spirit, with a career spanning over the last three decades and a truly extraordinary and uncompromising body of work. Haynes made his directorial debut in 1987 with the controversial short film Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story, using Barbie dolls to portray the life and death of singer Karen Carpenter. His feature film debut followed in 1991 with the provocative Poison, which went on to win the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance, spearheading what would become known as the New Queer Cinema. Haynes’s second feature, Safe, was later voted the best film of the 90’s by the Village Voice’s Critic Poll. Haynes’s next film, Velvet Goldmine, premiered in Official Selection at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival, where it received a Special Jury Prize. This was followed by Far From Heaven (2002), which received four Oscar nominations, including one for Haynes’ Original Screenplay. His 2007 film, I’m Not There, imagined the life and work of Bob Dylan through the guise of seven fictional characters, and once again won him mass critical acclaim. In 2011, Haynes directed and co-wrote Mildred Pierce, a five-hour mini-series, which garnered 21 Emmy nominations, winning five of them, in addition to three Golden Globes Awards. His latest feature film, Carol, premiered in the Official Selection of the 2015 Cannes Films Festival, where Rooney Mara was awarded the prize for Best Actress. The much-anticipated film, which also stars Cate Blanchett, is scheduled for release in November 2015.
“We are thrilled to present the Director Tribute to Todd Haynes in our 25th Anniversary year” said Joana Vicente, Executive Director, IFP and Made in NY Media Center. “Todd’s career exemplifies precisely the kind of visionary, independent filmmaking the Gotham Awards first began championing in 1991. We’re also honored to celebrate screenwriting this year for the first time, finally giving due credit to the significance of this craft to independent film as an art form.”
The eight competitive Gotham Awards include Best Feature, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Documentary, Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director, Breakthrough Actor, Audience Award, and now Best Screenplay. Recent past winners include Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), CITIZENFOUR, and Boyhood (2014) Inside Lleywn Davis, Fruitvale Station and The Act of Killing (2013); Moonrise Kingdom, Beasts of the Southern Wild and How to Survive a Plague (2012);Beginners, The Tree of Life and Better This World (2011); all of which went on to win numerous awards and garner Oscar™ nominations.
Last year the organization honored director Bennett Miller, actress Tilda Swinton, and Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos.
Todd Haynes and the additional Gotham Awards tribute recipients to be announced will join a prestigious group of previous honorees including: Jeff Skoll, James Schamus, Bob & Harvey Weinstein, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Sheila Nevins, Jonathan Sehring and film critic Roger Ebert; actors Matt Damon, Marion Cotillard, Charlize Theron, Stanley Tucci, Natalie Portman, Javier Bardem, and Penélope Cruz; filmmakers David O. Russell, David Cronenberg, Mira Nair and Gus Van Sant.
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Cheryl Boone Isaacs Re-elected President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Cheryl Boone Isaacs was re-elected president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Tuesday night (August 4) by the organization’s Board of Governors.
In addition, Jeffrey Kurland was elected first vice president; John Bailey, Kathleen Kennedy and Bill Kroyer were elected to vice president posts; Jim Gianopulos was elected treasurer; and Phil Robinson was elected secretary.
Boone Isaacs is beginning her third term as president and her 23rd year as a governor representing the Public Relations Branch. Kurland and Bailey were re-elected to their posts. Kennedy has served previous terms as vice president. Last year Kroyer served as secretary. This will be the first officer stint for Gianopulos. Robinson has served previous terms as vice president as well as secretary.
Boone Isaacs currently heads CBI Enterprises, Inc., where she consults on film marketing efforts. Starting this September, she will be an adjunct professor at Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. She recently received an honorary doctorate from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Over her career, Boone Isaacs has consulted on such films as “The Call,” “The Artist,” “The King’s Speech,” “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire,” “Spider-Man 2” and “Tupac: Resurrection.” Boone Isaacs previously served as president of theatrical marketing for New Line Cinema, where she oversaw numerous box office successes, including “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me” and “Rush Hour.” Prior to joining New Line in 1997, she was executive vice president of worldwide publicity for Paramount Pictures, where she orchestrated publicity campaigns for the Best Picture winners “Forrest Gump” and “Braveheart.”
Academy board members may serve up to three consecutive three-year terms, while officers serve one-year terms, with a maximum of four consecutive years in any one office.
A full listing of the Academy’s 2015–16 Board of Governors.
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Benicio Del Toro to Receive the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo Award at 21st Sarajevo Film Festival
Academy Award®-winning actor Benicio Del Toro will receive the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo Award for his extraordinary contribution to the art of film at the 21st Sarajevo Film Festival.
Previous recipients of the festival’s most prestigious award include among others Angelina Jolie, Gael Garcia Bernal, Steve Buscemi and acclaimed international award-winning directors Jafar Panahi, Mike Leigh, Béla Tarr and Danis Tanovic. The Heart of Sarajevo Award was designed by French designer and filmmaker, Agnès B, who is also a patron of the festival.
Del Toro will present Fernando León de Aranoa’s drama “A Perfect Day”, in which he has a starring role, and which recently premiered in Directors’ Fortnight at the 68th Cannes Film Festival. The film will be screened as a part of the Open Air Program, the festival’s largest screening venue, where Del Toro will also receive the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo in front of an audience of 3,000 film enthusiasts.
The acclaimed actor will also hold a master class for the participants of Talents Sarajevo, a networking and training platform for emerging film professionals from Southeast Europe and Southern Caucasus. Since it was founded in 2007, Talents Sarajevo has become the regional hub for meeting and training of aspiring film professionals.
Throughout his career, Del Toro has earned critical accolades including winning an Academy Award® for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Steven Soderbergh’s “Traffic” and an Oscar® nomination for his work in Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu’s “21 Grams.” Re-teaming with Soderbergh to star in “Che”, the biography of Che Guevera, Del Toro’s performance won him the Best Actor award at Cannes in 2008 and again the following year at the Goya Awards in Madrid, Spain.
Del Toro made his motion picture debut in John Glen’s “License to Kill” opposite Timothy Dalton’s James Bond and has earned critical acclaim for his performances ever since. In addition to winning a Best Supporting Oscar® for “Traffic,” he has also garnered a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild Award, BAFTA Awards, Berlin International Film Festival’s Silver Bear Award as well as recognition from the New York Film Critics Circle, the National Society of Film Critics, and the Chicago Film Critics Association.
Loved by audiences and critics alike, Del Toro has worked with such directors as Paul Thomas Anderson, Oliver Stone, Robert Rodriquez, Peter Weir, George Huang, Abel Ferrara, Guy Ritchie, Sean Penn, Susanne Bier, Terry Gilliam.
Del Toro can next be seen starring in Denis Villeneuve’s “Sicario” opposite Emily Blunt and Josh Brolin, which is scheduled for a September 18th, 2015 release by Lionsgate in the U.S.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQfqygkNMqE
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RIP: Oscar Nominee George Coe Director of THE DOVE Dead at 86. | VIDEO
Oscar-nominee George Coe died Saturday at the age of 86. He was nominated for an Academy Award for the 1968 comedy short film “The Dove,” which he co-directed as well as starred in.
Coe served on the Screen Actors Guild’s National Board of Directors for more than a dozen years, covering the period of 1967-1973 and again in the early 2000s. Because of his union service, the Screen Actors Guild Hollywood Division honored Coe with its prestigious Ralph Morgan Award in 2009.
“It is with heavy hearts that our SAG-AFTRA family says goodbye to George Coe,” said SAG-AFTRA President Ken Howard. “He was a stalwart unionist and a tremendous presence in our union for many years. He served his fellow actors and the labor movement with conviction and pride. Our deepest condolences go out to his family.”
Coe’s acting career includes more than 50 years of film, television, commercial and stage work; including the honor of being an original cast member of Saturday Night Live. Coe had a lengthy career as a commercial performer both on camera and voice over, including six years as the voice of Toyota.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8X2QmLWWxq4
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Carol Burnett to be Honored with 2015 SAG Life Achievement Award
Carol Burnett – comedic trailblazer, actor, singer, dancer, producer and author – has been named the 52nd recipient of SAG-AFTRA’s highest tribute: the SAG Life Achievement Award for career achievement and humanitarian accomplishment. Burnett will be presented the performers union’s top accolade at the 22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards®, which will be simulcast live on TNT and TBS on Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016.
Given annually to an actor who fosters the “finest ideals of the acting profession,” the SAG Life Achievement Award will join Burnett’s exceptional catalog of preeminent industry and public honors, which includes multiple Emmys®, a special Tony®, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and both a Kennedy Center Honor and its Mark Twain Prize for Humor.
Burnett’s film credits include playing Miss Hannigan in the film version of the musical, Annie, directed by John Huston; Noises Off, directed by Peter Bogdanovich; A Wedding, directed by Robert Altman; and Four Seasons, directed by Alan Alda. On Broadway she recently starred in A.R. Gurney’s Love Letters (2014), opposite Brian Dennehy, Fade Out, Fade In, with book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green with music by Jule Styne; Stephen Sondheim’s musical review Putting It Together;and Ken Ludwig’s farce Moon Over Buffalo, starring with Philip Bosco. She produced and starred in numerous television specials and guest starred on several television series, including Glee, Hot in Cleveland, Hawaii 5-0 and Law and Order: SVU. She also starred in the television series Fresno and Carol & Co., as well as the highly acclaimed made-for-television movies Friendly Fire, Life of the Party: The Story of Beatrice. In 2005 she returned to her Once Upon a Mattress roots, appearing in a television special, this time playing the evil Queen Aggravain.
image: Credit: Courtesy of Randee St. Nicholas | via kpbs
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Actress Sofia Vergara Receives Actors Inspiration Award at SAG Foundation LA Golf Classic
The Screen Actors Guild Foundation kicked off their 30th Anniversary festivities with the star-studded Los Angeles Golf Classic on June 8th, 2015, in Burbank, CA. The SAG Foundation awarded actress Sofia Vergara with its inaugural Actors Inspiration Award in honor of her commitment to giving back and her support of the Foundation and their children’s literacy programs.
Vergara was honored to accept the award, saying, “[It’s] so lovely to be part of an organization that gives back as much as the SAG Foundation does. Currently, 80% of children in the United States that attend at-risk schools read below grade level. Many of these children are bilingual, but it’s not [just] important to be able to speak the two languages, it’s also important to be able to read and write in them.”
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Victoria Siegel, Daughter in QUEEN OF VERSAILLES Documentary, Found Dead
Victoria Siegel, the 18-year-old daughter of David and Jackie Siegel who were featured in the 2012 documentary Queen of Versailles, died Saturday after being found unresponsive in their Windermere home, Orange County sheriff’s spokesman Jeff Williamson said.
Jackie Siegel posted on Facebook and Instagram on Sunday, “It is with great sadness that we ask you to respect our privacy during this tragic time and the loss of our beloved daughter, Victoria. Thank you all for your prayers and for your support.
As more information comes out the family will share it, until that time there is no comment.”
Williamson said the medical examiner was still determining the cause and manner of death. The Queen of Versailles directed by Lauren Greenfield, is a character-driven documentary about a billionaire family and their financial challenges in the wake of the economic crisis. With epic proportions of Shakespearean tragedy, the film follows two unique characters, whose rags-to-riches success stories reveal the innate virtues and flaws of the American Dream. The film begins with the family triumphantly constructing the largest privately-owned house in America, a 90,000 sq. ft. palace. Over the next two years, their sprawling empire, fueled by the real estate bubble and cheap money, falters due to the economic crisis. Major changes in lifestyle and character ensue within the cross-cultural household of family members and domestic staff. According to the NY Times, in 2012, David Siegel sued Ms. Greenfield for defamation. His original complaint focused on the Sundance publicity materials, which inaccurately described his company as collapsing. But even after Ms. Greenfield and Sundance tweaked the language, Mr. Siegel didn’t drop the lawsuit. Instead he filed a broader complaint, alleging that “The Queen of Versailles” depicts Westgate Resorts “in an array of defamatory, derogatory and damaging. A year later, in 2013 Lauren Greenfield scored a big legal victory in Florida federal court. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYOnT3Gqe9U
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Award-Winning Actress Cicely Tyson to be Honored by “I Have A Dream” Foundation
Actress Cicely Tyson will be presented with the Eugene M. Lang Lifetime Achievement Award by the “I Have A Dream” Foundation (IHDF) at their annual Spirit of the Dream Gala. Former New York City Mayor David Dinkins will present the award. The 2015 Spirit of the Dream Gala will take place on June 9 at Gotham Hall in New York City.
Through the creation of the Cicely Tyson Community School of Performing and Fine Arts, Oscar-nominated and Emmy Award-winning actress Cicely Tyson has played an enormous role in nurturing the artistic talents of low-income students. The beloved actress is most known for her award-winning roles in films including Sounder, The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittmanand The Help as well as television programs including Roots and How to Get Away with Murder.
“We are so pleased to recognize Cicely Tyson with this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award,” commented “I Have A Dream” Foundation President and CEO Donna Lawrence. “Throughout her trail-blazing career, Ms. Tyson has inspired countless students to follow their artistic dreams, culminating in the foundation of her Cicely Tyson Community School of Performing and Fine Arts. She is a perfect representative of the organization’s ideals and mission as established by Eugene Lang and is an inspiration to us all.”
Founded by philanthropist Eugene M. Lang in 1981, the “I Have A Dream” Foundation works to address one of the most critical issues of our time – the harsh reality that over 16 million children in America are living in poverty. IHDF provides comprehensive support services to low-income students from elementary through high school, along with guaranteed tuition support for college. Since its launch, IHDF has helped level the playing field for America’s poor children by supporting more than 16,000 Dreamers (students) across the country. Ninety percent of the foundation’s Dreamers graduate high school and complete college at more than 2 times the rate of their low-income peers, enabling them to acquire the economic, social and cultural capital they need to realize their potential.
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Venezuelan actor Julio Mendez of BAD HAIR Killed in Venezuela
Venezuelan actor Julio Mendez who was featured in the critically acclaimed independent film “Bad Hair” has reportedly been killed in a shootout in Caracas, Venezuela. Julio Mendez was said to be among a group of people killed last Thursday night during a confrontation between officers and a group of alleged car thieves in downtown Caracas.
According to the reports, it was unclear if Mendez was among the suspects or was caught in crossfire.
The filmmakers behind the film”Bad Hair” confirmed his death in a tweet, saying “With infinite rage and pain we must point out that our beloved actor Julio Mendez was killed in Caracas…”
In Bad Hair (Pelo malo), winner of the Golden Seashell Award and Sebastiane Award at the 2013 San Sebastian Film Festival, writer/director Mariana Rondón chronicles Junior’s life in a housing project in contemporary Caracas, Venezuela, where he lives with his widowed mother and baby brother. While his mother struggles to find cleaning jobs to feed her family, Junior’s obsessions are of a more aesthetic nature. Above all, he longs for straight hair – ‘Good Hair’ – like that of his idol, a Justin Bieber – like pop singer. He wants his curly African hair to be straight for his school picture. His mother fears her son is gay, but his African grandmother is fond of the boy, and teaches him to dance to one of her favorite rock ‘n’ roll tunes. In ” Bad Hair,” the 21-year-old Mendez played a newspaper vendor, reportedly winning the role after accompanying a friend to auditions held in the Caracas slum where the movie is set. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uW0o1jz5d9YCon infinita rabia y dolor debemos informar que nuestro querido actor JULIO MENDEZ fue asesinado en Caracas la… http://t.co/HL9cuFxNoH
— Pelo Malo (@FilmPeloMalo) May 2, 2015
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SELMA Director Ava DuVernay Honored by Barbie with Her Own Doll
Director Ava DuVernay is among six Sheroes, female heroes who inspire girls by breaking boundaries and expanding possibilities for women everywhere, honored by Barbie at the Variety Power of Women Luncheon in New York City with a one-of-a-kind doll created in their likeness. The doll features Ava DuVernay with her trademark braids and sitting in the director’s chair.
I always played w/ my sisters Jina + Tera. For hours making stories + scenarios. So this is special. Thanks, @Barbie. pic.twitter.com/aL8KGBx3XF — Ava DuVernay (@AVAETC) April 24, 2015
“Barbie has always represented that girls have choices, and this Spring we are proud to honor six Sheroes who through their trade and philanthropic efforts are an inspiration to girls,” said Evelyn Mazzocco, General Manager Barbie. “Started by a female entrepreneur and mother, this brand has a responsibility to continue to honor and encourage powerful female role models who are leaving a legacy for the next generation of glass ceiling breakers.” The complete list of Barbie 2015 Sheroes are: Ava DuVernay: Director of the Academy Award Best Picture nominee, SELMA, and founder of African-American Film Festival Releasing Movement, which provides opportunities and resources to underrepresented filmmakers. Emmy Rossum: Golden Globe® nominated actress and spokesperson for Best Friends Animal Society, the only national animal welfare organization dedicated exclusively to ending the killing of dogs and cats in America’s shelters and a leader in the no-kill movement. Eva Chen: Breaking boundaries by bringing inspiration to print as the youngest appointed female Editor-in-Chief of a national fashion magazine, Lucky. Kristin Chenoweth: An inspiration on Broadway and beyond, the Emmy® and Tony Award® nominee and winner also founded the Kristin Chenoweth Art & Education Fund volunteering with young talent in the arts. Sydney “Mayhem” Keiser: Five year-old fashion designer with work appearing in Vogue and signed on with major national fashion brand, J.Crew, for the collection ‘Little Mayhem for J.Crew’ launching in June. Trisha Yearwood: A woman with many super powers, succeeding as an award-winning Country artist, best-selling author, Food Network host and entrepreneur. Following the awards ceremony, each Shero auctioned off their doll to benefit a charity of her choice.
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Robert Redford to be Honored with 42nd Annual Chaplin Award
Robert Redford, Academy Award–winning director, actor, producer, environmentalist, and founder of the Sundance Film Festival and Institute, will be honored by the Film Society of Lincoln Center at the 42nd Annual Chaplin Award Gala held at Lincoln Center on Monday, April 27, 2015.
“The Board is thrilled to have Robert Redford as the next recipient of the Chaplin Award,” said Ann Tenenbaum, the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Board Chairman. “Not only is he an internationally known and loved actor, director, and producer, but perhaps no other single artist has done more to champion the work of independent filmmakers. This makes him a truly distinguished honoree—the Film Society, the New York Film Festival, and the film world in general are immensely richer because of his contributions.”
Born in 1936 in Santa Monica, Redford began his career in New York in 1959 appearing as a guest star on several TV shows, including The Twilight Zone, Perry Mason, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and that year also marked his Broadway debut in Tall Story (1959), followed by roles in The Highest Tree (1959), Sunday in New York (1961), and his biggest Broadway success as the newlywed husband in Neil Simon’s Barefoot in the Park (1963). He also earned an Emmy nomination as Best Supporting Actor for his performance in The Voice of Charlie Pont in 1963, followed by one of his last television appearances on Breaking Point.
Redford made his screen debut in War Hunt (1962), which also marked the directorial debut of Sydney Pollack, and the first of several collaborations between the two. He won his first Golden Globe award for Inside Daisy Clover (1965), in which he played a bisexual movie star who weds Natalie Wood. He worked with the actress again in Pollack’s This Property Is Condemned(1966), and that same year, he starred in Arthur Penn’s The Chase opposite Jane Fonda, with whom he would later reteam with for the movie version of Barefoot in the Park (1967) and Pollack’s The Electric Horseman (1979).
Playing alongside Paul Newman in 1969’s Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Redford launched to superstardom, and throughout the following two decades he further cemented his role within film history playing iconic characters in such films asJeremiah Johnson (1972), The Candidate (1972), The Way We Were (1973), the Oscar-nominated The Sting (1973), The Great Gatsby (1974), Three Days of the Condor (1975), All the President’s Men (1976), The Natural (1984) and Out of Africa (1985), winner of seven Academy Awards.
Redford’s impressive career also extends behind the camera. He made his directorial debut with the Academy Award–winningOrdinary People, followed by The Milagro Beanfield War (1987), A River Runs Through It (1992), Quiz Show (1994), The Horse Whisperer (1998), and The Company You Keep (2012), among others.
He was the recipient of the 1997 National Medal for the Arts by President Clinton. In 2001 he was honored with the Freedom in Film Award presented by the First Amendment Center, and in 2002 received the Pell Award for Excellence in the Arts: Lifetime Achievement Award. In December 2005, Redford accepted the Kennedy Center Honors for his “distinguished achievement in the performing arts and in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to the life of our country.” Most recently, Redford received the Legion d’Honneur medal, France’s highest recognition, from President Nicolas Sarkozy on October 14, 2010.
Redford starred in last year’s New York Film Festival selection All Is Lost, and just completed production on A Walk in the Woods, based on Bill Bryson’s memoir and co-starring Nick Nolte. It is scheduled for release in 2015. He is now shooting Truthwith Cate Blanchett. The film is based on the book Truth and Duty by Mary Mapes.
The Film Society’s Annual Gala began in 1972 and honored Charlie Chaplin, who returned to the U.S. from exile to accept the commendation. Since then, the award has been renamed for Chaplin, and has honored many of the film industry’s most notable talents, including Alfred Hitchcock, Billy Wilder, Laurence Olivier, Federico Fellini, Elizabeth Taylor, Bette Davis, James Stewart, Robert Altman, Martin Scorsese, Diane Keaton, Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Michael Douglas, Sidney Poitier, Catherine Deneuve, Barbra Streisand and, last year, Rob Reiner.
image via flickr
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JUNO Star Ellen Page Comes Out “I Am Gay” | Watch VIDEO
Ellen Page, who got her break in JUNO which premiered at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival, revealed over the weekend that she is gay. Page, 26, made the announcement at the Time to THRIVE, a conference to promote the welfare of LGBT youth held at Bally’s Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“I’m here today because I am gay, and because maybe I can make a difference. To help others have an easier and more hopeful time. Regardless, for me, I feel a personal obligation and a social responsibility.”
“I am tired of hiding and I am tired of lying by omission. I suffered for years because I was scared to be out. My spirit suffered, my mental health suffered and my relationships suffered. And I’m standing here today, with all of you, on the other side of all that pain.”
http://youtu.be/1hlCEIUATzg