Sherry Lansing will be honored with the 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award at the opening-night gala of the 27th annual Israel Film Festival, organizers announced Thursday.
The event will be held April 18 at the Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills, Calif., along with the West Coast premiere of "Ballad of the Weeping Spring," directed by Benny Torati. The festival will run from through May 2 and showcase more than 30 new Israeli films including feature films, documentaries, and student shorts.
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Throughout her nearly 30-year career in the film business, Lansing earned a reputation as a trailblazer, a visionary leader and a creative filmmaker. She became the first woman to head a major film studio when she was appointed president of 20th Century Fox; later, she was chairman and chief executive at Paramount Pictures for more than 12 years.
She was involved in the production, marketing and distribution of more than 200 films, including the Academy Award-winning "Forrest Gump," "Braveheart" and "Titanic."
She also is founder and chief executive of the Sherry Lansing Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to cancer research, health, public education, and encore career opportunities, which was formed in 2005.
“It is such an honor for us to present Sherry Lansing with the IFF Lifetime Achievement Award," said Meir Fenigstein. the festival founder and executive director. "In Hollywood her leadership and accomplishments are unsurpassed. She is truly a great leader and continues to have a huge impact both personally and philanthropically on everyone’s life she touches.”
Past recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award include Kirk Douglas, Arnon Milchan, Mike Medavoy and Avi Lerner.
The Israel Film Festival is the largest showcase of Israeli films in the United States. In the last two and a half decades, it has presented more than 800 feature films, documentaries, television dramas, animation and short films to over 900,000 filmgoers and brought hundreds of Israeli filmmakers to the U.S. to share their art.
The Israel Film Festival is produced by IsraFest Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization created in 1982. Chairman for the this year's festival is Rick Feldman; honorary co-chairs are Ryan Kavanaugh and Arnon Milchan.
Festival screenings will take place at Laemmle Music Hall in Beverly Hills and the Laemmle Town Center in Encino.