Oscar-nominated, leading man Andy Garcia will receive the inaugural George Hickenlooper Honorary Awardat the 35th Starz Denver Film Festival (SDFF), presented by Starz and produced by the Denver Film Society. Governor John Hickelooper, cousin of the late renowned filmmaker, will present the award Friday, Nov. 9, 9:30 p.m. at the L2 Arts and Culture Center, 1477 Columbine St. (corner of Colfax Ave. & Columbine St.).
George Hickenlooper, a prolific filmmaker whose works were shown at seven different Starz Denver Film Festivals, was perhaps best known for his documentaries including Hearts of Darkness: a Filmmaker’s Apocalypse, Picture This: the Times of Peter Bogdanovich in Archer City, Texas, and Hick Town.In October 2010, while in Denver to support his cousin’s bid to become Governor of Colorado and celebrate the premiere of his last film, Casino Jack, Hickenlooper suffered an untimely death.
“My cousin loved working with great actors and one of his favorites was Andy Garcia,” said Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper.
The 2010 Starz Denver Film Festival was dedicated in its entirety to the memory of George Hickenlooper.
“George’s death was a tremendous loss to so many of us who knew and worked with him,” said Starz Denver Film Festival Director Britta Erickson. “The world lost a brilliant filmmaker. This award honors the quality of acting, directing and producing which George inspired and which we seek to present through the Denver Film Society year-round. It is fitting that we pay tribute to George and we’re very proud to be able to recognize his friend Andy Garcia with the Inaugural George Hickenlooper Award.”
For nearly 30 years and 40 films, Cuban-American actor Andy Garcia has captivated audiences worldwide in such memorable films as The Untouchables, Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead, When a Man Loves a Woman, and Ocean’s Eleven. Like George Hickenlooper, Garcia makes his mark in the industry as a filmmaker, as well as an actor.
The award presentation will follow a special screening of the 2001 film, The Man from Elysian Fields, directed by George Hickenlooper and staring Garcia, Mick Jagger, Julianna Margulies, Olivia Williams, James Coburn and Anjelica Huston.
About the Denver Film Society:
Founded in 1978, the Denver Film Society (DFS) is a membership-based, non-profit SCFD Tier II cultural institution that produces film events throughout the year, including the award-winning Starz Denver Film Festival and Film on the Rocks. The Denver FilmCenter/Colfax presents film programs daily and is Denver’s first and only year-round cinematheque. Members of DFS support one-of-a-kind programs reaching more than 200,000 film lovers and film lovers-in-training each year. – Report by Denver Film Society
