Iconic actor and producer Susan Sarandon was announced this week as the Woodstock Film Festival’s honorary Maverick Award recipient. The honorary Maverick Award will be presented to Sarandon on Saturday, October 14, at the Woodstock Film Festival’s Maverick Awards Ceremony at Backstage Studio Productions in Kingston, NY. The honorary Maverick Award is presented annually to leaders in the film and media industries who demonstrate a fiercely independent and unparalleled artistic vision. Previous recipients include Darren Aronofsky, Richard Linklater, Jonathan Demme, Mira Nair, Barbara Kopple, Steve Buscemi and more.
The 18th Woodstock Film Festival is October 11-15, held throughout Woodstock and at other locations in the region.
Ms. Sarandon, 70, has had a dazzling film career, from early roles in the Rocky Horror Picture Show and a stunning turn in Atlantic City opposite Burt Lancaster. She starred in Thelma and Louise, portrayed Annie Savoy in Bull Durham won an Oscar and a Screen Actors Guild award as Sister Helen in Dead Man Walking. She was seen this year in FX’s Feud: Bette & Joan opposite Jessica Lange, and will be seen in Showtime’s Ray Donovan with Woodstock Film Festival Advisory Board member, Liev Schreiber this year.
Sarandon has worked with human rights organizations like Film Aid International and social justice advocate MADRE, and in 2006, was awarded Action Against Hunger’s award for her work as a UNICEF goodwill ambassador and as an advocate for victims of hunger and HIV/AIDS.
“Not only is she one of the most accomplished and talented actors of our times,” said Woodstock Film Festival Co-Founder and Executive Director, Meira Blaustein, “but she is also a supporter and producer of many socially relevant, impactful films, and a strong advocate for gender equality in the entertainment industry.”
See http://www.woodstockfilmfestival.com/ for more on the Woodstock Film Festival and the award.
