News

Universal’s Focus Features hosted the premiere of 21 GRAMS (2003, d. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu) starring Benicio Del Toro, Sean Penn, and Naomi Watts, on November 6, 2003 at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Los Angeles, benefiting The Film Foundation. Michael Apted, President of The Film Foundation, opened the evening.  Guests included: Benicio Del Toro, Dustin Hoffman, Anjelica Huston Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Jack Nicholson, Sean Penn, Robin Wright Penn, Naomi Watts, and many others.

On November 18, 2003 in New York City, Chiara Mastroianni hosted a reception and silent auction to launch le Enjoy, a new fragrance from Jean Patou Paris.  The Film Foundation received a portion of the proceeds from the first week of sales of Enjoy at Saks Fifth Avenue, as well as ticket sales from a three-evening film series hosted by Jean Patou Paris at New York’s Sunshine Cinema.

As part of the 4th Annual DGA Honors, the Directors Guild of America and The Film Foundation honored Curtis Hanson with the Film Preservation Award for his commitment and dedication to film preservation, at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City on November 16, 2003. 

The DGA holds this annual gala to celebrate and recognize individuals and organizations that have made outstanding cultural contributions to film and television production.  In addition to Curtis Hanson, filmmaker Robert Altman, AFL-CIO President John J. Sweeney, and Maine Senator Olympia Snowe were recognized. The USC School of Film and Television received a donation to its scholarship fund in recognition of the continued excellence of their department.   

TFF Artists Rights Council member Miloš Forman presented the award to Curtis Hanson.  Prior to the presentation, Donald Sosin, composer and acclaimed silent film accompanist, played an original piece to the clip from the silent film, MY BEST GIRL (1927, d. Sam Taylor), restored by UCLA and funded by The Film Foundation and the Mary Pickford Foundation. 

 Picture: Curtis Hanson receives the inaugural 2003 Film Foundation Film Preservation Award at the DGA Honors in New York City. Hanson was honored for his long-time commitment to, and support for, the issue of film preservation.

On November 11, 2003 at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in New York City, Americans for the Arts honored Sofia Coppola with the Young Artist Award for Artistic Excellence, as part of their annual National Arts Award gala, co-chaired by Veronica Hearst, Agnes Gund, and Eli Broad.  

Each year, the Americans for the Arts (AFTA) honors notable artists for their work, and commend philanthropists who have made contributions to the arts. AFTA has formed a multi-year partnership with The Film Foundation for the purpose of recognizing film as an art form, as well as increasing funding opportunities for film preservation. Through this new alliance, The Film Foundation selected filmmaker Sofia Coppola to be honored for her remarkable accomplishments.