THE 38TH SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES SISSY SPACEK AND WILLIAM FRIEDKIN AS 2012 TRIBUTE HONOREES
Seattle, WA—The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF), announced today that it will recognize Oscar-winning actress Sissy Spacek and director William Friedkin as 2012 Tribute honorees during the 38th annual festival which runs May 17-June 10. The announcement comes three days prior to the official release of SIFF’s 2012 film selections.
In celebration of their outstanding career accomplishments, both artists will be honored during a weekend of celebratory events in Seattle. Sissy Spacek will be honored with the Festival’s award for Outstanding Achievement in Acting on June 7 and William Friedkin will be presented with SIFF’s Lifetime Achievement Award on June 9. Tribute functions will be open to the public and are set to include individual evening Tribute dedications, as well as a dinner in their honor where they’ll be presented with an authentic Chihuly glass statue, crafted by world renowned artist, Dale Chihuly.
“Sissy Spacek and William Friedkin have captivated audiences repeatedly throughout their careers with critically acclaimed works that boast multigenerational appeal,” said SIFF Artistic Director Carl Spence. “SIFF is proud to celebrate their endured success in cinematic excellence and continuing brilliance, as we honor the highest caliber of cinematic talent at our annual Tribute Awards.”
Sissy Spacek will receive SIFF’s Outstanding Achievement in Acting Award in recognition of a legendary career spanning four decades. First gaining attention starring opposite Martin SIFF’s Sheen in the widely praised 1973 drama, Badlands , Spacek is acclaimed for her work in numerous films, including her Oscar-nominated performance in the 1976 chiller based on Stephen King’s Carrie, and her Academy Award-winning portrayal of country singer Loretta Lynn in 1980’s Coal Miner’s Daughter. She received her 6th Oscar nomination for the portrayal of a mother grieving for her murdered son in Todd Field’s In the Bedroom. Spacek was most recently in the Oscar nominated film The Help, based on the New York Times bestseller. The tribute also comes on the brink of her highly anticipated memoir, “My Extraordinary Ordinary Life” set to hit shelves May 1.
In addition to Spacek’s honor, SIFF will celebrate the career of director William Friedkin with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Friedkin is critically acclaimed for his brilliant craftsmanship of such essential films as The French Connection, for which he received an Academy Award for Best Director, Sorcerer, and To Live and Die in LA. He is also recognized as revolutionizing the horror genre with 1973’s The Exorcist, which is still considered by critics to be one of the greatest horror movies of all time. Friedkin’s latest buzzed-about provocative black-comedy, Killer Joe, is his second collaboration with celebrated playwright Tracy Letts. Starring Matthew McConaughey, Emile Hirsch, Gina Gershon, and Juno Temple, Killer Joe will make its’ Seattle debut at this year’s festival as part of the program and release theatrically this summer.
