Sorvino and Shlesinger set for San Diego festival honours
Mira Sorvino and Iliza Shlesinger will lead the honours list at the San Diego International Film Festival next week.
Sorvino will receive the Virtuoso Award and Shlesinger will receive the Trailblazer honor at the festival's Night of the Stars tribute, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The tribute, the festival's opening awards evening, is scheduled for Oct. 13 at the Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center in La Jolla.
The news was reported on Oct. 9, four days before the ceremony. The festival itself will take place from Oct. 13 to Oct. 18. This year is the 25th annual edition, according to the San Diego International Film Festival, which is billing the Night of the Stars as its 25th anniversary tribute.
Sorvino is an Academy Award winner. She is credited with Mighty Aphrodite, while Shlesinger is credited with Chasing Summer, according to BroadwayWorld. Both the Virtuoso and Trailblazer awards will be presented on Oct. 13 at the Conrad Prebys venue.
The Night of the Stars also honours recipients of the Gregory Peck Excellence in Film Award, according to the festival. In festival language, a tribute is simply a ceremony held alongside the screenings to honour invited guests. It is the night when the programme pauses and the prizes take over.
What makes this stand out is the pairing. One stage. Two careers from different corners of the screen. Opening-night tributes often set the tone for the days that follow, and San Diego is using its anniversary year to start loud.
For audiences, the tribute is only the beginning. The festival lists an Opening Night celebration on Oct. 14. Independent films and studio premieres, the main run of screenings, will follow from Oct. 15 to Oct. 18 at AMC UTC 14 at Westfield UTC.
There is plenty around the films too. A Fest Lounge for festivalgoers will run Oct. 16 to Oct. 18 at the same cinema site. The 25 Years After Dark anniversary party is set for Oct. 17 at the Belly Up in Solana Beach. Culinary Cinema, which pairs food with film, will close the programme on Oct. 18 at AMC 14 at Westfield UTC in La Jolla.
For fans, this means one night for the prizes, then five days of new films, parties and food events. Short week. Full programme.
