Hollywood's Most Respected Filmmakers & Actors to Attend Akira Kurosawa 100-Year Tribute at Green Globe Film Awards

HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Feb. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- On March 23, 2010 Hollywood's most renowned directors and actors are expected to attend the memorial tribute on what would have been Akira Kurosawa's 100th birthday.  The Guest of Honor will be Akira Kurosawa's son and President of Kurosawa Production, Hisao Kurosawa.  Some of Kurosawa's closest friends in Hollywood included Martin Scorsese, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Richard Gere.  Over the past year they have all contributed their time to create tribute video footage for television programs and events centered around Kurosawa.  The recipient of these video contributions is the Anaheim University Akira Kurosawa School of Film with the most recent contributions coming from Richard Gere, Martin Scorsese and Oliver Stone.

The ground-breaking masterpieces of filmmaker, film producer and screenwriter Akira Kurosawa (March 23, 1910 - Sept 6, 1998) have inspired such classic movies as Star Wars, The Magnificent Seven, A Fistful of Dollars, Last Man Standing, A Bug's Life and Vantage Point.  One of the greatest filmmakers of the 20th century who introduced the west to Japanese cinema, Kurosawa won multiple awards for many of his films, including Rashomon in 1951, Kagemusha in 1980 and Ran in 1985.   In 1989 he won an Oscar for Lifetime Achievement, which was presented to Kurosawa by Lucas and Spielberg.

The Tribute will be a main event during the 2010 Green Globe Film Awards, which includes over 100 Viewers' Choice Awards which can be voted on through the event Web site at http://www.movie-voters.com. The Dinner Gala will be held on March 23rd at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel's California Ballroom in Los Angeles. According to event organizers, the Bonaventure was selected for its capacity to host the largest dinner gala of any hotel in the state, as well as its history of being one of the most sought after movie locations for filmmakers endeavoring to present Los Angeles in a modern and elegant setting.

The event is organized by the Academia Foundation and Anaheim University.  The Grand Sponsor is the Westin Bonaventure Hotel.  Other sponsors include the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Asiana Airlines.  Tickets for the evening dinner gala that seats 1,200 people are available through the event Web site.

SOURCE Green Globe Film Awards