The Coronado Island Film Festival, which runs Nov. 8-12, has announced its 2023 Leonard Maltin Industry Tribute Awards Gala Honorees.
Presided over film critic and historian Leonard Maltin, the gala brings together glitz and glamor to honor both industry legends as well as rising stars, according to the film festival.
This year’s honorees include Diane Ladd, Andreas Deja, Carol Guzy, Paul Raci, and
Heba Thorisdottir.
Leonard, who serves as the Host and Honorary Jury President, will host the evening and partake in Q&As with honorees after they take the stage to accept their awards.
This year’s Honorary Co-Chair is Carolynn Berardi Towbin, CEO of Towbin Motorcars.
Leonard Maltin Industry Tribute Awards Gala will be hosted on Nov. 11 in the Commodore Ballroom at Loews Coronado Bay Resort, a premier sponsor of the festival.
Legacy Award for Diane Ladd
Diane Ladd will accept the Legacy Award, honoring her 70-year career as an actress, writer, director, and author.
Ladd has won over 57 international awards including The British Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Independent Spirit Film Award and the Cannes’ Palme d’or Award. She also has been nominated for three Emmy Awards and three Academy Awards for the films “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,” “Wild at Heart” and “Rambling Rose.”
Ladd will premiere her new film, “Isle of Love” on Nov. 12, followed by a Q&A with Maltin.
Humanitarian Award for Guzy
Four-time Pulitzer Prize Winning Photojournalist Carol Guzy will receive the Humanitarian Award.
Guzy is the first journalist to receive a fourth Pulitzer – for coverage of the Haitian earthquake in 2010.
Previously she was honored twice with the Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography for her coverage of the military intervention in Haiti and the devastating mudslide in Armero, Colombia.
She received a third Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography for her work in Kosovo.
She has been named Photographer of the Year for the National Press Photographers Association three times and nine times for the White House News Photographers Association and has earned many other prestigious awards.
Artistry in Filmmaking for Thorisdottir
Heba Thorisdottir, the Iceland-born, Los Angeles-based make-up artist, will receive the Artistry in Filmmaking Award.
Thorisdottir has worked with some of the biggest names in Hollywood over the course
of her career.
From the red carpet to the big screen to high-fashion editorials to commercial advertising, her approach is visionary and versatile, and her execution skills make her an asset to
any creative collaboration, according to the film festival.
She began her career in music videos, working with REM, Bruce Springsteen, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Sting.
She quickly nabbed a position as additional make-up artist on the TV series Twin Peaks, where she was Director David Lynch’s inspiration for the character of “Heba Thorsdottir” in the first season of the show.
CIFF will screen “May December” on Nov. 12, her latest feature starring Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore. Heba will attend the screening and partake in a Q&A following the screening.
Leonard Maltin Award to Deja
The Leonard Maltin Award will go to Andreas Deja, a Polish-born German-American character animator, most noted for his work at Walt Disney Animation Studios as the supervising animator of some of the most memorable Disney villains: Gaston in “Beauty and the Beast,” Jafar in “Aladdin,” Scar in “The Lion King” and Queen Narissa in “Enchanted.”
He also animated Roger Rabbit in “Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” King Triton in “The Little Mermaid,” the title character in Hercules, Lilo Pelekai in “Lilo & Stitch,” Mama Odie in “The Princess and the Frog” and Tigger in “Winnie the Pooh.”
A lifelong fan of Disney, Deja was hired by the studio in 1980. The first film he worked on was “The Black Cauldron,” during which time he shared a cubicle with Tim Burton.
He is currently the resident specialist for the animation of Mickey Mouse.
His film “Mushka” part of a special presentation and will screen twice on Nov. 12.
Industry Impact Award for Raci
Academy Award Nominated Paul Raci will receive the Industry Impact Award for his advocacy for the deaf community and representation in entertainment.
Raci is an American actor, a Veteran, a CODA (Child of Deaf Parents), a Court Certified American Sign Language Interpreter and a musician.
He best known for his role as Joe in the “Sound of Metal” starring opposite Riz Ahmed and
Parks and Recreations opposite Amy Poehler.
He was born and raised in Chicago by Deaf parents and is fluent in American Sign Language. While in Chicago, he honed his acting chops at the local theaters and was a founding member of The Immediate Theater Company, where he was nominated
for a Jefferson Award for their production of “Children of a Lesser God.”
Festival returns for eighth year
The annual festival will return for its eighth year as the five-day event runs Nov. 8-12.
Individual tickets for the Industry Tribute Gala, as well as tickets to each screening, party, and panel are on sale now.
Ticket prices range from $15 – $295. The All-inclusive Emerald Badge is recommended as the best way to enjoy all the festival offers, according to festival organizers.
For more information and updates on this year’s honorees and overall programing slate, visit the festival website at festival.coronadofilmfest.com
Submitted by the Coronado Island Film Festival.
