Apr 26, 2013
Festival
In a surprise announcement at the Opening Night ceremonies of the 56th San Francisco International Film Festival (April 25-May 9), the San Francisco Film Society announced that Harrison Ford, one of American cinema’s most iconic male leads, will be the recipient of the 2013 Peter J. Owens Award for excellence in acting. The award will be presented to Ford at Film Society Awards Night, Tuesday, May 7 at Bimbo’s 365 Club.
The Film Society and its year-round exhibition, education and Filmmaker360 programs will be the beneficiary of the star-studded fundraiser honoring Ford; Philip Kaufman, the previously announced recipient of the Founder’s Directing Award; Eric Roth, recipient of the Kanbar Screenwriting Award; and Ray Dolby, the previously announced recipient of the George Gund III Award. Katie and Todd Traina are chairs of this year’s Film Society Awards Night gala. Tickets for Film Society Awards Night are currently sold out.
“The Bay Area is defined by individuals who do things their own way with a ton of personality, and a good dose of humility,” said Ted Hope, executive director of the San Francsico Film Society. “Our past award recipients have set an incredibly high bar in terms of achievement, so when considering this year’s Peter J. Owen’s recipient, we knew we had some big shoes to fill. When America dreams of a hero, we see Harrison Ford. For him to arrive here, directly following yet another #1 box office success is a huge thrill for film lovers everywhere.”
Ford will also be honored at An Afternoon with Harrison Ford at Sundance Kabuki Cinemas, Tuesday May 7, 2:30 pm. A screening of a film featuring one of his iconic performances will follow an onstage interview and a selection of clips from his impressive career.
A native of Chicago, Ford launched his film career in 1973 with the breakthrough role of hot-rodder Bob Falfa in George Lucas’s seminal hit, American Graffiti. Four years later, he reunited with Lucas to play the iconic role of Han Solo in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. The sci-fi epic earned 12 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, and went on to become the top-grossing film in history, a record it held for 20 years. Ford reprised the role of Han Solo in the sequels The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.
In 1981, Ford created another legendary screen character, Indiana Jones, in Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-nominated mega-hit Raiders of the Lost Ark. During the 1980s, he starred in the blockbuster sequels Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. In 2008, he returned to the title role in the hugely successful Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
Over the course of his illustrious career, Ford has also been repeatedly honored for his contributions to the film industry, including the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s Cecil B. DeMille Award, in 2002, and the American Film Institute’s Lifetime Achievement Award, in 2000. In 1994, the National Association of Theater Owners named him the Box Office Star of the Century. Ford earned an Academy Award nomination for his compelling portrayal of Detective John Book in Peter Weir’s 1985 Oscar-nominated hit Witness, for which he also received Golden Globe and BAFTA Award nominations, all for Best Actor. Ford subsequently garnered three more Best Actor Golden Globe nominations: for his performances in Weir’s 1986 drama The Mosquito Coast; the 1994 Oscar-nominated blockbuster The Fugitive, for director Andrew Davis; and Sydney Pollack’s 1996 remake of Sabrina. Ford most recently received widespread praise for his role in Brian Helgeland’s acclaimed drama 42, the true story of legendary baseball player Jackie Robinson, who broke baseball’s color line.
Named for the longtime San Francisco benefactor of arts and charitable organizations, Peter J. Owens (1936-1991), this award honors an actor whose work exemplifies brilliance, independence and integrity.
Previous recipients of the Film Society’s Peter J. Owens Award are Judy Davis (2012), Terence Stamp (2011), Robert Duvall (2010), Robert Redford (2009), Maria Bello (2008), Robin Williams (2007), Ed Harris (2006), Joan Allen (2005), Chris Cooper (2004), Dustin Hoffman (2003), Kevin Spacey (2002), Stockard Channing (2001), Winona Ryder (2000), Sean Penn (1999), Nicolas Cage (1998), Annette Bening (1997) and Harvey Keitel (1996). The Peter J. Owens Award is made possible through a grant from the Peter J. Owens Trust at the San Francisco Foundation.
For more information or tickets to Film Society Awards Night, contact Trista Kendall at 415-561-5049 or tkendall@sffs.org.
Tickets to An Afternoon with Harrison Ford are $30 for SFFS members, $35 for the general public. Box office now open at Sundance Kabuki Cinemas and online at festival.sffs.org.
For general information visit festival.sffs.org.
To request interviews or screeners, contact your SFFS publicist.
For photos and press materials visit sffs.org/pressdownloads.
56th San Francisco International Film Festival
The 56th San Francisco International Film Festival runs April 25-May 9 at the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas, the Castro Theatre and New People Cinema in San Francisco and the Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley. Held each spring for 15 days, the International is an extraordinary showcase of cinematic discovery and innovation in one of the country’s most beautiful cities, featuring 200 films and live events, 14 juried awards and $70,000 in cash prizes, upwards of 100 participating filmmaker guests and diverse and engaged audiences with more than 70,000 in attendance.