Jamie Lee Curtis will receive the Career Achievement Award at AARP The Magazine’s 21st annual Movies for Grownups Awards ceremony.
The event, hosted by Alan Cumming, recognizes this year’s best films and television series for older viewers.
“Jamie Lee Curtis’ longstanding, ever-increasing career shatters Hollywood’s outmoded stereotypes about aging, and it exemplifies what AARP’s Movies for Grownups program is all about,” AARP CEO Jo Ann Jenkins said in a statement. “We are delighted to honor Curtis, who at 19 became an iconic ‘scream queen’ in ‘Halloween,’ then grew up to be a master in comic and dramatic roles, too. She soars higher than ever this year, with her last ‘Halloween’ movie and ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once,’ which may well earn her her first Oscar nomination at 64 — on top of the Movies for Grownups Career Achievement Award, our highest honor.”
Previous Career Achievement honorees include Lily Tomlin, George Clooney, Annette Bening, Kevin Costner, Robert De Niro, Michael Douglas, Morgan Freeman, Shirley MacLaine, Helen Mirren, Robert Redford, Susan Sarandon and Sharon Stone.
The Grownups for Movies Awards will take place Jan. 28 in Beverly Hills, Calif.
Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Promotes Amy Homma to Chief Audience Officer
Long-time Academy Museum of Motion Pictures executive Amy Homma was promoted to Chief Audience Officer Nov. 28, Director and President of the Academy Museum Jacqueline Stewart announced.
“Amy has proven herself to be a skillful, forward-thinking, and inspiring leader since she began at the museum in 2019, and I look forward to seeing her and her teams thrive in this new capacity,” Stewart said. “As a seasoned programmer, educator, and administrator who brings a deep knowledge of audience engagement and museology, Amy is the ideal person to steer our museum’s next chapter of external relations.”
Prior to her new appointment, Homma worked as vice president of Education and Public Engagement at the Academy Museum. Under her leadership, the museum developed K-12 programming and public programs rooted in accessibility and activism.
Homma’s introduction to the Academy Museum was as the inaugural director — a position she acquired following the conclusion of her tenure at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.
In her new role, Homma will continue to facilitate community engagement while having a heavier hand in the museum’s upholding of inclusive values.
“I am eager to work across teams to further develop the museum’s impact and commitment to local, national, and global audiences through a visitor-centered approach,” Homma said.
Fashion Designer Prabal Gurung To Executive Produce Oscar-Contending Short Film, ‘LORI’
Prabal Gurung, the Nepali-American fashion designer whose work has been donned by larger-than-life figures like Kamala Harris, Michelle Obama and Kate Middleton, is making his debut as an executive producer with the Oscar-contending short film, “LORI (Melancholy of My Mother’s Lullabies).”
The film, which was directed and written by Abinash Bikram Shah, premiered at the 75th annual Cannes Film Festival and received Grand Jury recognition.
“I am honored to support Abinash and his drive to create awareness and action to improve the access to a better lifestyle for young Nepali children,” Gurung said. “This is an extremely powerful mother-daughter story that leans heavily on the ongoing cultural issues in Nepal.”
Set in a Nepali village, the 14-minute film is centered around a mother, who attempts to ease her 12-year-old daughter’s hesitations toward her impending arranged marriage through a series of lullabies. But when the hypnotic melodies come to a halt, the young girl begins to see the world through a haunting new lens.
Academy voters can view the short at the Film Independent Theater in Los Angeles Nov. 30 before the film is released on Creator+ in the U.S.
Cinema Audio Society To Honor Alejandro González Iñárritu with Filmmaker Award
Alejandro González Iñárrituwill receive the Cinema Audio Society’s Filmmaker of the Year honor at the 59th CAS Awards on Saturday, March 4, at the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown hotel.
“It is an honor to name director Alejandro González Iñárritu as the recipient of the prestigious 2023 CAS Filmmaker Award. His sobering portrayals of the human experience bring empathy and consciousness to perspectives often left untold and unconsidered,” said CAS President Karol Urban. “No doubt drawing on his history in music, his films experiment and utilize sound — uniquely embracing its capacity to emotionally engulf the viewer.”
Upon hearing the news that he was to receive the CAS honor, Mr. Iñárritu said, “Being singled out as a filmmaker by my colleagues in the Cinema Audio Society is a great honor. I have had the pleasure of collaborating with some of the most gifted sound designers in the industry and truly cannot emphasize the importance of the work they do in creating a fully sensorial experience for audiences when watching a film.”
Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival Announces 2022 Winners
The Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival has announced this year’s winners. In its 37th year, the festival took place from Nov. 4-13 and screened 200 films.
Below is the complete winners list of the Jury and President Awards at the 37th annual Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival:
Best American Indie
“Corner Office,” directed by Joachim Black
Honorable Mention:
“American Dreamer,” directed by Paul Dektor
“The Drop,” directed by Sarah Adina Smith
Best Foreign Film
“Ride Above” (Tempete), directed by Christian Duguay
Best documentary
“The Ghost of Richard Harris,” directed by Adrian Sibley
Honorable Mention:
“The Long Rider,” directed by Sean Cisterna
“Territorio Africano,” directed by Joaquin & Julian Azulay
“Tiger #24,” directed by Warren Pereira
Spirits of Independents Awards
“Abuella’s Family: The Sansgiving Episodes,” directed by Kevin Bosch
“American Dreamer,” directed by Paul Dektor
“Bobcat Moretti,” directed by Rob Margolies
“Camino Al Exito,” directed by Sebastian Rodriguez
“Combat Club,” directed by Mark Moorman
“D.O.A.,” directed by Kurt St. Thomas
“A Matter of Trust,” directed by Annette K. Olesen
“The Mistress,” directed by Greg Pritikin
“Trade,” directed by Corey Stanton
“The Artist and the Astronaut,” directed by Bill Muench
“Freedom on Our Mind,” directed by Chad Light
Special Jury Prize for Production
“D.O.A.,” directed by Kurt St. Thomas
Best Florida Feature
“Bridge to the Other Side,” directed by KT Curran
Best Florida Short
“Connections,” directed by Jennie Jarvis
“Lioness,” directed by Molly E. Smith
Best American Indie Short
“Lift” by Charles Burmeister
Best Foreign Short
“Viva,” directed by Esteben Steven Petersen (Dominican Republic)
Best High School Video
“The Interns,” directed by Sabrina Dubner (USA)
“Backspace,” directed by Ethan Ross (UK)
“White,” directed by Vivian Burmeister (USA)
Best College Short
“Dad We Shall Sing Something,” directed byAidana Baurjanqizy(Kazakhstan)
Best College Long Narrative
“Nahrani,” directed by Angelina Auer (Germany)
Best College Animation (TIE)
“There Is Exactly Enough Time,” directed byOskar Salomonowitz (Austria)
“The Many Benefits of Heartbreak,” directed by Luke Schroeder (USA)
Best College Doc
“Resurgence,” directed byKrushan Naik (USA)
Best Filmed in Broward Short
“Un Pequeno Corte,” directed by Mariana Serrano
Best Filmed in Broward Doc
“The Halls of Power,” co-directed by Janay Joseph, Graciel Quezada & Bianca Vucetice
Lifetime Achievement
Sally Kirkland
Career Achievement
John Gray
Career Achievement
Taryn Manning
Star on the Horizon
Hopper Jack Penn
Star on the Horizon
Zoe Bleu
Lionsgate Sets Horror-Comedy “The Blackening” for June 16, 2023
Lionsgate has set the release of MRC’s horror-comedy “The Blackening” for June 16, 2023, landing on Juneteenth weekend. The film stars Antoinette Robertson, Dewayne Perkins, Sinqua Walls, Grace Byers, X Mayo, Melvin Gregg, Jermaine Fowler, Yvonne Orjiand and Jay Pharoah. It received praise at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.
“The Blackening” centers around a group of Black friends who reunite for a Juneteenth weekend getaway, only to find themselves trapped in a remote cabin with a twisted killer. Tim Story directed the movie on a screenplay co-written by Tracy Oliver and Dewayne Perkins. The film is produced by Marcei A. Brown, Jason Clark, E. Brian Dobbins, Oliver, Story and Sharla Sumpter Bridgett. Perkins serves as co-producer, with Vicky Story as associate producer.
Rob Edwards to Write Graph Novel Adaptation of ‘Defiant’
Screenwriter Rob Edwards will write a graphic novel adaptation of the in-development feature “Defiant,” which follows the true story of Civil War hero, Captain Robert Smalls.
“Knowing the influence that Captain Robert Smalls has, it encapsulates so much more than his heroics during the Civil War. I wanted to be able to really dive in for a comprehensive retelling for people who aren’t familiar with his story,” Edwards said in a statement. “By working with Legion M and being able to expand this into a graphic novel before transitioning into a film, I think it’s a great way to introduce an American hero to so many new audiences.”
Edwards wrote the Walt Disney animated features “The Princess and the Frog” and “Treasure Planet,” as well as wrote and produced for such television series as “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” “Full House,” “A Different World,” “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,” “Roc” and “In Living Color.” “Defiant” is produced by Marvin “Krondon” Jones III, Legion M executives Paul Scanlan, Jeff Annison, Terri Lubaroff and David Baxter, the Wolper Organization and Bill Duke.
