Oscar-Supported Sunscreen Film Festival Presents Rising Star Award to Actor Matthew Ziff

TAMPA, Fla., April 30, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Florida's Sunscreen Film Festival 2013 (www.sunscreenfilmfestival.com), supported by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, has honored hot young actor Matthew Ziff (www.matthewziff.com) with its Rising Star Award.

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130430/PH03849)

Founded in 2006, the Sunscreen Film Festival commands an annual audience of over 11,000 fans, not only from Tampa Bay but from around the country. In 2013, Sunscreen was one of only 23 film festivals in the U.S. to be selected for support by the Oscars.

Matthew Ziff is one of the busiest young actors in Hollywood and the East Coast today, dividing his time between LA, NY and Florida. In the 2013 Sunscreen centerpiece film, Treachery, he co-starred with veteran character actor Michael Biehn (Aliens, The Terminator). Treachery is a gripping contemporary drama of young love, family secrets, and unexpected violence also starring Jennifer Blanc Biehn and Caitlin Keats. The exclusive test screening of Treachery at Sunscreen generated tremendous audience acclaim and was made possible by Lionsgate.

On Tuesday, April 30 Matthew will appear on NBC's Daytime to discuss new directions in film and what it's like to move from the indies to the mainstream.

At the same time, Matthew is co-starring with Martin Kove (Karate Kid), Eric Roberts and Lorraine Ziff (Mansion of Blood, Once Upon a Time in Brooklyn, The Muppets Take Manhattan, L.A. Law) in the genre-busting supernatural Western Six Gun Savior, due for release this fall. Lorraine is not only Matthew's mother but also a long-established actress, voice over actress, story editor and executive producer in her own right. (www.lorraineziff.com) 

Sunscreen organizers noted that as a nationwide teaching festival its ranks are rich with young stars breaking into film, and to take the Rising Star Award from among so many gifted and committed actors is an amazing accomplishment. This is nothing new in Matthew's incandescent career. In 2012, Hollywood Magazine named him "Hollywood's Newest Heartthrob," and he is ranked on IMDB "Most Popular Under 25."

Only 22, Matthew Ziff is involved in no less than seven films in production or post-production. As a measure of his unbelievable energy, he has done this while wrapping up a degree program in Engineering at the University of Miami – and playing as a star Beater and Seeker for the gold-medal winning USA team in the International Quidditch Association finals preceding the London Olympics last year. 

Matthew has been in show business since the age of two months as a commercial baby star, and by the age of ten had appeared both Letterman and Conan O'Brien. He has been featured or starred in dozens of productions and films since then and has amassed millions of Facebook, IMDB and Twitter followers.

Besides Treachery and Six Gun Savior, Matthew's recent and upcoming film credits include Mansion of Blood (Robert Picardo), Hard Flip (John Schneider, Rosanna Arquette), and Among Friends (Danielle Harris, Jennifer Blanc Biehn).

Matthew is a member of SAG-AFTRA, AEA and GIAA. He has a second degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do, Hapkido and Kendo, and is also a trained marksman. He is an intense supporter of Cancer Research.

More information on Matthew Ziff is available at:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3556158/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Matthew-Ziff/175192812536476
http://twitter.com/MatthewZiff
www.matthewziff.com

Contact:  Laurie Jessup - 727-743-9579

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SOURCE Matthew Ziff