2024 SFFILM Awards Night to Honor Denis Villeneuve, Demi Moore, Malcolm Washington, Jason Reitman
Today, SFFILM announced their honorees for the annual 2024 SFFILM Awards Night: Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Denis Villeneuve; award winning global superstar Demi Moore; emerging filmmaker Malcolm Washington; and Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Jason Reitman on Monday, December 9, 2024 at San Francisco’s Gateway Pavilion at Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture.
This Year’s Annual Fundraiser Supporting SFFILM’s Mission-Driven Initiatives Will Honor Denis Villeneuve with the Irving M. Levin Award for Film Direction, Demi Moore with the Maria Manetti Shrem Award for Acting, Malcolm Washington with the George Gund III Award for Virtuosity, and Jason Reitman with the Nion McEvoy & Leslie Berriman Award for Storytelling.
“For 67 years, SFFILM has provided a gateway for bold voices in film to thrive and reach discerning audiences who embrace the experience of going out to the movies,” said SFFILM’s Executive Director, Anne Lai. “SFFILM Awards Night is not only a celebration of the year’s most trailblazing artists, but also an opportunity to honor distinctive talent who inspire the next generation of filmmakers who will enrich our lives and communities in the years to come.”
“We are so proud to honor this group of individuals as we close out 2024. Their craft and artistry elevates the cinematic experience and reminds us why we collectively love the power of film,” said SFFILM Director of Programming Jessie Fairbanks. “Denis, Demi, Malcolm, and Jason are all intrepid, tenacious, and imaginative creatives. We look forward to honoring their work at SFFILM’s annual fundraiser.”
The celebratory event honors exemplary achievement in film craft and is a fundraiser with proceeds from the event supporting the organization’s mission to discover, nurture, and showcase the next generation of film artists. The annual dinner and awards presentation event is well established in film industry awards season schedules and philanthropic social calendars.
Irving M. Levin Award for Film Direction: Denis Villeneuve
The Irving M. Levin Award for Film Direction is presented each year to one of the masters of world cinema and is given in memory the founder of the San Francisco International Film Festival in 1957. Past recipients include Greta Gerwig (2023), Ryan Coogler (2022), Jane Campion (2021), Chloé Zhao (2020), Marielle Heller (2019), Steve McQueen (2018), Kathryn Bigelow (2017), Mira Nair (2016), Guillermo del Toro (2015), Richard Linklater (2014) Philip Kaufman (2013), Kenneth Branagh (2012), Oliver Stone (2011), Walter Salles (2010), Francis Ford Coppola (2009), Mike Leigh (2008), Spike Lee (2007), and Werner Herzog (2006), among others.
Denis Villeneuve is an Academy Award®-nominated French-Canadian filmmaker whose remarkable worldbuilding, astute attention to detail and storytelling prowess have established him as one of the premier directors working today. Villeneuve has masterfully adapted Frank Herbert’s classic, first with 2021’s Dune and now with Dune: Part Two, the monumental continuation of the first film and conclusion of the legendary novel. Through creating a visually stunning and narratively complex conclusion to this tale, Villeneuve has captivated everyone from critics to audiences to devoted fans.
Villeneuve’s additional directing credits include Blade Runner 2049, Arrival, Sicario, Prisoners, Enemy and Incendies.
Maria Manetti Shrem Award for Acting: Demi Moore
The Maria Manetti Shrem Award for Acting has been awarded since 1996 and honors a performer whose work in film exemplifies brilliance, independence, and integrity. Past recipients include Nicolas Cage (2023), Margot Robbie (2022), Oscar Isaac (2021), Glenn Close (2020), Adam Driver (2019), Amy Adams (2018), Kate Winslet (2017), Ellen Burstyn (2016), Richard Gere (2015), Jeremy Irons (2014),
Harrison Ford (2013), Judy Davis (2012), Terence Stamp (2011), Robert Duvall (2010), and Robin Williams (2007), among others.
Actress, producer, and New York Times bestselling author Demi Moore can currently be seen starring in Coralie Fargeat’s critically acclaimed body horror feature, The Substance, alongside Margaret Qualley. The film premiered in-competition at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, where it garnered rave reviews and among the longest standing ovations out of the festival. It was released in theaters September 20 from MUBI. She most recently starred in the second season of “Feud: Capote vs. The Swans,” and can soon be seen in Paramount+’s upcoming drama “Landman” from Taylor Sheridan and Christian Wallace, in which she stars alongside Jon Hamm and Billy Bob Thornton. It was also recently announced that Moore will star in Boots Riley’s I Love Boosters alongside Keke Palmer, LaKeith Stanfield and Naomi Ackie.
The actress set a record in 1995 when she became the highest-paid actress in Hollywood, known for her work in St. Elmo’s Fire, About Last Night…, Ghost, A Few Good Men, Indecent Proposal, The Scarlett Letter, Disclosure, G.I. Jane, Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle, Bobby, and Margin Call among many others.
George Gund III for Virtuosity: Malcolm Washington
The George Gund III Award is presented each year to one of world cinema’s outstanding visionaries, regardless of their craft. As a result of activist, arts advocate, and philanthropist Agnes Gund’s generous support, this honor calls attention to an artist who exemplifies excellence, integrity, and promise—all qualities exemplified by the award’s titular figure. Past honorees celebrated for their singular and virtuous work are actor Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All At Once, 2022) and writer/director Cord Jefferson (American Fiction, 2023).
Malcolm Washington is a filmmaker from Los Angeles who is making his feature film directorial debut with The Piano Lesson for Netflix. Washington is also co-writer on this adaptation of August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning masterwork.
After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania and the prestigious American Film Institute, Washington went on to direct award-winning short films and music videos. In 2017, he wrote and directed the short film Benny Got Shot. For his work, he received the Filmmaker to Watch Award at the Atlanta Film Festival (ATLFF). His previous credits include She’s Gotta Have It, Summer of 17, The Dispute and North Hollywood.
Nion McEvoy & Leslie Berriman Award for Storytelling: Jason Reitman
The Nion McEvoy & Leslie Berriman Award for Storytelling acknowledges the critical importance that storytelling plays in the creation of outstanding films and is presented annually to a filmmaker whose work exemplifies brilliance, ambition, independence, and integrity. Past recipients include Roger Ross Williams (2023) Sarah Polley (2022), Maggie Gyllenhaal (2021), Aaron Sorkin (2020), Lulu Wang (2019), Boots Riley (2018), Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani (2017), Tom McCarthy (2016), Paul Schrader (2015), Stephen Gaghan (2014), Eric Roth (2013), David Webb Peoples (2012), Frank Pierson (2011), and James Schamus (2010), among others.
Jason Reitman is an Academy Award-nominated filmmaker who most recently directed Saturday Night, a film he co-wrote with Gil Kenan and is based on the true story of what happened behind the scenes in the 90 minutes leading up to the first broadcast of Saturday Night Live. Reitman made his feature film debut with the 2006 Sundance hit Thank You for Smoking for which he won best screenplay at the Independent Spirit Awards. He notably earned Academy Award nominations for directing Juno and Up in the Air, the latter of which earned Reitman a WGA Award and BAFTA Award for Best Screenplay. Reitman has collaborated with screenwriter Diablo Cody on four critically acclaimed films, including Young Adult, Tully, and Jennifer’s Body. As a producer, Reitman oversaw four seasons of the Golden Globe nominated Hulu comedy series Casual. He also produced the Academy Award-winning film Whiplash and Jean-Marc Vallee’s Demolition. In 2010, Reitman co-created the Live Read series with Elvis Mitchell, which ran for five seasons at LACMA where he also sat as an artist-in-residence. In 2020, during the height of the COVID pandemic, Reitman created and directed the Home Movie Princess Bride, raising over a million dollars for World Central Kitchen. In 2021, Reitman directed and co-wrote Ghostbusters: Afterlife with Gil Kenan, and in 2023, produced and co-wrote its sequel, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. In early 2024, Reitman assembled 35 prominent film directors in order to save the Westwood Village Theater.
SFFILM Awards Night is co-chaired by Alexandra Wells and Leslie Olrich. The Host Committee includes Jennifer Hymes Battat, Courtney Benoist & Jason Fish, Heidi W. Castelein, Lisa Kleiner Chanoff & Matt Chanoff, Dale Djerassi, Lee Flynn, Agnes Gund, Katie Hall & Tom Knutsen, Fred M. Levin, Merriman & Eric Mathewson, Leslie & Scott Olrich , Robina Riccitiello & Jim Sottile, Sarah Schoellkopf & William Neil, Jan Shrem & Maria Manetti Shrem, Charles & Kristy Thornton, Laney & Pasha Thornton, Katie & Todd Traina, Alexandra & Spencer Wells , Charlie & Barbara Winton, and Penelope Wong & Tim Kochis.
The event’s sponsors include MUBI, Netflix, Sony Pictures, and Warner Bros. Discovery.
SFFILM is a nonprofit organization whose mission ensures independent voices in film are welcomed, heard, and given the resources to thrive. SFFILM inspires and connects audiences, students and teachers, and filmmakers through film exhibition, youth education, and artist development programs. Annual public film programs produced by SFFILM include the San Francisco International Film Festival (SFFILM Festival) which is the longest running film festival in the Americas, Doc Stories documentary
series, special events with the best and brightest in contemporary film, and family programming. SFFILM Education serves more than 16,000 students and educators with learning opportunities designed to cultivate media literacy, global citizenship, and a lifelong love of movies. SFFILM Makers supports the careers of independent filmmakers from the Bay Area and beyond with grants, residencies, and other creative development services.
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
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