The stage is nearly set for CinemaCon’s Big Screen Achievement Awards.
Robert De Niro, Billy Eichner, Abby Ryder Fortson, Glen Powell and Zoe Saldana are confirmed to receive special honors on April 28 in Las Vegas, per CinemaCon managing director Mitch Neuhauser.
The Big Screen Achievement Awards will be held at CinemaCon headquarters at Caesars Palace and will be hosted by Entertainment Tonight veteran Kevin Frazier from inside the Colosseum. The awards are designed to shine a spotlight on the big-screen achievements of actors and filmmakers. Additional honors are expected to be announced.
De Niro, making his first CinemaCon outing in his illustrious career, will be feted with the Cinema Vérité Award for lifelong contributions to the artform. Eichner will receive a Comedy Star of the Year trophy on the eve of Bros, a new gay romantic comedy that he stars in from a script he co-wrote.
Powell, who next stars opposite Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick, will take home a Star of Tomorrow prize. Zoe Saladana will be honored with a CinemaCon Star of the Year award as The Adam Project star preps for the release of a slate that includes a new David O. Russell film, Keyhole Garden, the Avatar franchise and a new Guardians of the Galaxy installment. Lastly, Fortson, who toplines the upcoming Judy Blume adaptation Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, will be honored with a Rising Star of 2022 award.
“CinemaCon may be the only time during the course of the year where the exhibition community gets to thank the creative world for providing the very best in the world of movies,” said Neuhauser. “Our roster of honorees this year represents an incredible scope of talent and to have one of the most legendary actors in the history of film being honored, that of course being Robert De Niro, well it really doesn’t get better than that.”
The news comes just days before the big event that sees Hollywood studios and cinema operators gather in Las Vegas for the annual convention hosted by the National Association of Theatre Owners. This year, all five major Hollywood studios plus Lionsgate and Neon will be touting their upcoming slates during their time on stage inside the Colosseum at Caesars Palace. CinemaCon, expected to draw upwards of 6,000 guests, runs April 25-28. Partners this year include both the International Cinema Technology Association (ICTA) and National Association of Concessionaires (NAC) as well as official presenting sponsor, the Coca-Cola Company.
Source: Hollywood
