Hollywood Film Awards launches the awards season and honors excellence in the art of filmmaking

HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Oct. 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- For a 16th consecutive year, the Hollywood Film Festival and Hollywood Film Awards continue their mandate of bridging the gap between emerging filmmakers and the film industry, as well as recognizing excellence in established Hollywood, both in front of and behind the camera.

This year should be no different. Special honors went to Richard Gere for career achievement; Bradley Cooper for actor; Marion Cotillard for actress; Robert De Niro for supporting actor; Amy Adams for supporting actress; Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman and the cast of "Argo;" John Hawkes for breakout performance; David O. Russell for director; Dustin Hoffman for breakthrough director; Quentin Tarantino for the screenwriter award; Judd Apatow for comedy; Quvenzhane Wallis for the New Hollywood Award; Samantha Barks, Bella Heathcote, Tom Holland, John Magaro, Ezra Miller, and Kelly Reilly with the Spotlight Awards; Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner for producers; Wally Pfister for cinematographer; Dylan Tichenor for editor; Sarah Greenwood for production designer; Peter Ramsey with "Rise of the Guardians" for animation; and Jeff White with "The Avengers" for visual effects.

Celebrities and Hollywood notables who attended the Hollywood Awards included  Eddy Hartenstein, Los Angeles Times Publisher and Tribune Company CEO, Diablo Cody, Chris Evans, Tom Ford, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, John Hillcoat, Helen Hunt, Melissa Leo, Ray Liotta, Tony Mendez, Christopher Nolan, Edward Norton, Seth Rogen, Eric Roth, Susan Sarandon, Amanda Seyfried, Adam Shankman, and Kerry Washington, among others.

"We are very proud to be the first stop of the awards season. In the last nine years, a total of 85 Oscar nominations and 32 Oscars were given to the honorees of the Hollywood Film Awards," said Festival and Awards Founder, Carlos de Abreu.

The gala awards presentation was hosted by Nancy O'Dell of "Entertainment Tonight" and attendees were treated to the music of Johnny Crawford and his Orchestra.

The winners of the festival's film competition were announced Sunday night, October 21, at the "Hollywood Discovery Awards" Presentation Ceremony at ArcLight Cinemas in Hollywood. This year's winners were: "Garbage" by Phil Volken - Best Feature Film; "Bound by Flesh" by Leslie Zemeckis - Best Documentary; "Crescendo" by Alonso Alvarez Barreda - Best Short Film; "Cadaver" by Jonah D. Ansell - Best Animation Film; "Les Miserables" by Erin Wyatt - Best Trailer.

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ABOUT THE HOLLYWOOD FILM AWARDS
The Hollywood Film Awards were created to honor excellence in the art of filmmaking, both in front of and behind the camera, and launch the awards season. The criteria are: recipients are selected to be honored for their body of work and/or a film(s) that is to be released between January 1 and December 31 by an advisory team. In addition, for the recipients of our "film awards craft categories" (aside from evaluating their body of work), our Advisory team takes into consideration the recommendation of their guilds/societies. Last year alone, our recipients received 12 nominations and 5 Oscars. In the last 9 years, a total of 85 Oscar nominations and 32 Oscars were given to our honorees.

The Hollywood Film Awards are presented in conjunction with Presenting Sponsor the Los Angeles Times, Premier sponsors ArcLight Cinemas and Hollywoodnews.com, exclusive Regional Print Media sponsor Los Angeles Confidential and trade Media sponsors the Hollywood Reporter and Variety. Special support is provided by American Cinema Editors, A.C.E., American Society of Cinematographers, A.S.C., The Art Directors Guild, A.D.G., The Casting Society of America, CSA, Celebrity Services, Costume Designers Guild,  CDG, Columbia Pictures, Creative Artists Agency, DreamWorks SKG, Entertainment Tonight, Focus Features, Fox Searchlight, ICM, ILM, Motion Picture Editors Guild, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Classics, Universal Pictures, Warner Bros., The Weinstein Company, WME. Getty Image is the Official Photography Agency.

Awards Contact:
Hollywood Film Awards
Ph: 310.288.1882
[email protected]
433 N. Camden Drive, Suite 600, Beverly Hills, CA 90210
http://www.hollywoodfilmawards.com

SOURCE Hollywood Film Awards