DiCaprio and Bening to Pickup Hollywood Film Festival Awards

The Hollywood Film Festival's Board of Advisors is proud to announce that this year's festival will honor Oscar-nominated actress Annette Bening with its "Hollywood Actress of the Year Award" and Academy Award-nominated actor Leonardo DiCaprio with the "Hollywood Actor of the Year Award."The awards will be bestowed upon Ms. Bening and Mr. DiCaprio as part of the Hollywood Awards Gala Ceremony on Monday evening, October 18, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Other industry professionals who will be honored for their achievements at the Awards Gala Ceremony are John Travolta for lifetime achievement, Mel Gibson for producing, Michael Mann for directing, Bob Berney for leadership, UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television Dean Robert Rosen for film preservation, John Logan for screenwriting, Caleb Deschanel for cinematography, Sally Menke for editing, Thomas Newman for film composing, John Dykstra for visual effects, Albert Wolsky for costume design, Stuart Craig for production design, Ve Neill for make-up, Debra Zane for casting, and DreamWorks' "Shrek 2" for animation. In addition, Jamie Foxx and Keira Knightley will be honored with the festival's Breakthrough Acting awards, and Zach Braff with the "Hollywood Breakthrough Director of the Year Award.""Annette Bening and Leonardo DiCaprio represent excellence in the art of acting and it gives us great pleasure to honor these talented professionals and their accomplishments at this year's festival," said festival founder Carlos de Abreu.Annette Bening was nominated for a 2000 Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Best Actress-Drama for her role opposite Kevin Spacey in "American Beauty." She received an Academy Award nomination and was named Best Supporting Actress by the National Board of Review for her role in "The Grifters." Ms. Bening also earned Golden Globe nominations for her performances in Rob Reiner's "The American President," opposite Michael Douglas, and Barry Levinson's "Bugsy." Most recently, she stars in "Being Julia," due for release in October, which also stars Jeremy Irons and is directed by Istvan Szabo.Ms. Bening's motion picture credits also include Kevin Costner's "Open Range," opposite Kevin Costner and Robert Duvall; Neil Jordan's "In Dreams"; "The Siege," opposite Denzel Washington; Ian McKellen's adaptation of Shakespeare's "Richard III"; Tim Burton's "Mars Attacks!"; "Love Affair," with Warren Beatty and Garry Shandling; "Bugsy," also with Warren Beatty; "Guilty By Suspicion," opposite Robert De Niro; Mike Nichols's "Regarding Henry," opposite Harrison Ford; and Milos Forman's "Valmont." Ms. Bening also appeared in Mike Nichols's "Postcards from the Edge." She made her feature film debut in "The Great Outdoors," opposite Dan Aykroyd and John Candy. Ms. Bening's work on stage has brought her a Tony Award nomination and the Clarence Derwent Award for Most Outstanding Debut Performance of the Season for her role in "Coastal Disturbances" and critical acclaim and an Ovation Award nomination for Best Actress as Hedda Gabler in a recent revival of the Ibsen classic.Leonardo DiCapri is an Academy Award-nominated actor, and also the star of the top-grossing movie of all time - "Titanic." In 1994, he earned both Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for his role as a mentally handicapped young man in Lasse Hallstrom's "What's Eating Gilbert Grape." His performance also brought him awards from the National Board of Review and the Chicago Film Critics Association. He received his second Golden Globe nomination in 1997 for his starring role in James Cameron's Academy Award-winning Best Picture "Titanic." Mr. DiCaprio will next be seen starring as Howard Hughes in Martin Scorsese's biopic "The Aviator," which is due for release in December.Born in Hollywood, California, Leonardo DiCaprio began performing while still in elementary school. Following work in commercial and daytime television, he landed regular roles on the series "Parenthood" and "Growing Pains." His first major feature film part was in director Michael Caton-Jones's "This Boy's Life," starring opposite Robert De Niro and Ellen Barkin. "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" came next, followed with starring roles in three films released in 1995: Sam Raimi's western "The Quick and the Dead," with Sharon Stone and Gene Hackman, Jim Carroll's "The Basketball Diaries," and Agnieszka Holland's "Total Eclipse."The following year, he starred opposite Claire Danes in Baz Luhrmann's updated screen adaptation of William Shakespeare's "Romeo + Juliet." He then joined an all-star ensemble cast, including Meryl Streep, Diane Keaton and Robert De Niro, in "Marvin's Room," which was followed by "Titanic." His subsequent film credits include Woody Allen's "Celebrity," "The Beach," "The Man in the Iron Mask," and starring in two films released last year: Steven Spielberg's "Catch Me If You Can" and Martin Scorsese's "Gangs of New York."The 2004 Annual Hollywood Film Festival, which will take place from October 12 to 18. The screenings and conference will take place at the ArcLight Theatres in Hollywood. The Hollywood Film Awards Gala Ceremony will take place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, Monday, October 18. You can visit their site here.Source: Hollywood Film Festival