For the Islander
The 14th annual Catalina Film Festival celebrated two extraordinary women making waves and impacting change, Saturday, September 28, 2024 at the historic Avalon Theatre at the Catalina Casino: Academy Award-winning actress Marcia Gay Harden and actress/philanthropist Emmanuelle Chriqui.
Avalon’s own David Hart, the city’s Community Services manager, received the Heart of Avalon award.
This year’s festival was held entirely on Catalina Island. In recent years the festival had been split between venues on Catalina and on the mainland in Long Beach.
The 2024 Avalon Award was presented to Marcia Gay Harden by Director Nancy Hower, after a touching and hilarious video tribute from actress Camryn Manheim, claiming BFF status (from Hower) and sharing details “you can’t google” after her 40-year long friendship with the Oscar winning actress.
“I don’t actually know why we are friends,” admits Manheim, who is also godmother to Harden’s children. “We are so different. She’s a country girl at heart and I’m a city girl at heart, but somehow or another through all these decades, she and I have walked this road together. I am so grateful for her friendship and so grateful for you for bestowing her with the Avalon Award. It is so deserved and ALL of these awards are so long overdue.”
The Catalina Film Festival’s Avalon Award is given to actresses or female filmmakers who have dared to defy Hollywood’s conventions and forge their own unique paths. It celebrates those who have embraced unconventional roles, challenged the status quo, and carved a distinctive niche within the industry. Past Recipients include Mena Suvari, Ashanti, Kate Bosworth, Mira Sorvino, Jaime King, and Emmy Rossum.
With her deep involvement in philanthropic efforts, actress Emmanuelle Chriqui received the Champion of Change Award, presented by Director John Asher, of her recent film, A Love Like This, accompanied on the red carpet with producers Lee Levin and Jordan Bogdonavage.
The Champion of Change Award recognizes exceptional individuals in the entertainment industry who use their platform to catalyze significant global environmental impact. Their dedication to important causes is as unwavering as their commitment to their artistic endeavors. While best known for her roles in Entourage and Superman & Lois, Chriqui has helped launch raisehopeforcongo.org with respected humanitarian John Prendergast (alongside Robin Wright, Emile Hirsch and Joel Madden). She also works closely with the Environment Media Association, advocates for Colon Cancer Canada, and this past year has focused on responding to the terrorist attacks on Israel condemning anti-Semitism.
Catalina Film Festival held the 14th annual celebration of cinema on Thursday, Sept. 26, through Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024 exclusively on Hollywood’s destination Island, with an online screening room, powered by EO Flix App: EntertainmentOxygen.com, streaming festival films until Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024.
Highlights from the 2024 Catalina Film Festival included The Lion’s Den®, an experiential live pitch session, featuring accredited private investors, venture capital financiers, and content development professionals giving aspiring filmmakers the opportunity to strike a deal live. Lions included Michael Helfant, Amasia Entertainment, Michael Lazarovitch, Chemically Altered Productions, Natalie Haack Flores, VP of Development at Nuyorican Productions; Marci Linett, Private Equity Investor; London Wright-Pegs Lewis, VP of Business Affairs and Legal.
Industry Panels: Casting the Best Actor with Donna Morong, Casting Director, 10 Things I Hate About You; with actors Amy Tsang, Acolyte; Dot Marie Jones, Glee; and Necar Zadegan, Mayor of Kingston; Fade-In – Screenwriters: featuring Anna Salinas, Loot; David Eick, Battlestar Galactica. The Director’s Chair with International Directors: Jon Amiel (England) Sommersby; Krisztian Köves Kasparek (Hungary) HALÁLKERINGÖ; Gregory Nava, (US) Selena. Successfully Marketing Your Feature Film: Film Festival, Sales & Distribution with Olivia Mascheroni, Verve Ventures: The Purge, Get Out, Insidious; Natalie Haack Flores, VP of Development at Nuyorican Productions: Dune, Bob the Builder; Crystal Hill SVP International Sales at Red Sea Media: Damaged; Lediona Kasapi, TVCO – Germany; Adam D. LaBlack, CEO of LFR Films, Brian Nitzkin, Dept H.
The Catalina Film Festival spotlighted the West Coast Premiere of Not an Artist, directed by Alexi Pappas and Jeremy Teicher, starring Matt Walsh, GaTa (both in attendance) and Haley Joel Osment, Rosalind Chao, Betsy Sodaro, Robert Schwartzman, RZA and Dan Bakkedahl.
