Our adventures with Buick continue…as we were in Idaho for the Dent Conference, the Sun Valley Film Festival was happening simultaneously. As one of our favorite film festivals, the Sun Valley Film Festival, presented by Zions Bank, is extremely intimate and inviting. You will probably be walking around Main Street and bump into the likes of Geena Davis, Brett Ratner and Chace Crawford. Everyone is so down to Earth because they are there to celebrate the art of filmmaking.
Brett Ratner. All photography courtesy Sun Valley Film Festival.
An intimate dinner celebrating the diverse achievements of Academy Award® winning actor and activist Geena Davis was followed by the Sun Valley Film Festival’s Awards Bash, where winners across ten categories were announced. The Festival awarded over $50,000 in cash prizes and countless mentorship opportunities to independent filmmakers. Special guests The Lemon Twigs brought down the house as filmmakers, attendees and special guests raised a glass to toast another successful Festival. The SVFF features a diverse list of awards including film awards, screenwriting competition awards and special signature awards.
The Festival awarded over $50,000 in cash prizes and countless mentorship opportunities to independent filmmakers. Special guests The Lemon Twigs brought down the house as filmmakers, attendees and special guests raised a glass to toast another successful Festival. The SVFF features a diverse list of awards including film awards, screenwriting competition awards and special signature awards.
Geena Davis. All photography courtesy Sun Valley Film Festival
Special Awards:
• Geena Davis, Brett Ratner and Allison Williams receive SVFF Award Honors
• Jamie Redford and Jill Tidman honored with Snow Angel Award
• Blood Road receives Audience Award • Dan Sickles wins Producer’s Vision Award for Dina
• Beyond the Wall and Dave Made a Maze score One in A Million Award
• Unlovable wins The Film Lab
• Mylissa Fitzsimmons wins Short Film Lab
• Ron Torres wins Idaho Gem State Award
• Anai Colyer picks up WILD to Inspire
Academy Award winning actor Geena Davis received the Vision Award on Saturday, March 18 and is this year’s honoree and guest speaker at the Grande Dame Brunch. One of Hollywood’s most respected actors, Davis’s film credits include The Accidental Tourist, Thelma and Louise, Beetlejuice and A League of Their Own as well as the upcoming Marjorie Prime with Tim Robbins and Jon Hamm. Besides founding the Geena Davis Institute on Gender, Davis created the Bentonville Film Festival in support of women and diversity in the entertainment industry.
Bobby Farrelly.
Brett Ratner received Nat Geo WILD’s Pioneer Award and was part of the Festival’s Coffee Talk Series with producer and President of MGM’s Film division, Jonathan Glickman. Besides enjoying critical acclaim as a producer including The Revenant and Before the Flood, Ratner is known for directing the films Rush Hour trilogy, X-Men: The Last Stand, Family Man, and Red Dragon.
Allison Williams.
Allison Williams received the Festival’s inaugural Rising Star Award as well as participated in a Coffee Talk discussion. Williams made her feature film debut in number one box office hit Get Out, written and directed by Jordan Peele. She is currently starring in the final season of HBO’s Emmy and Golden Globe-winning television series, “Girls.”
Brothers Peter and Bobby Farrelly joined the Festival for the Coffee Talks Series- the Festival’s most loved event. Coffee Talks are an opportunity for award-winning filmmakers and industry insiders to share their war stories in an intimate and accessible environment. The writer/producer team responsible for classic comedies such as Dumb and Dumber, Me, Myself and Irene, Shallow Hal, There’s Something about Mary, and The Heartbreak Kid.
For more information, visit the Sun Valley Film Festival.
All photography courtesy Sun Valley Film Festival