PRESS RELEASE
GEENA DAVIS TO RECEIVE
VIOLA DAVIS TRAILBLAZER AWARD
AT CINEMACON® 2024
WASHINGTON D.C. (April 8, 2024) – Academy Award® winner Geena Davis will receive this year’s Viola Davis Trailblazer Award, Mitch Neuhauser, Managing Director of CinemaCon, announced today. CinemaCon, the official convention of NATO, will be held April 8-11, 2024, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Davis will be presented with this special honor at the Big Screen Achievement Awards ceremony taking place on the evening of Thursday, April 11, at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace and hosted by official presenting sponsor The Coca-Cola Company.
“Geena Davis exemplifies the true essence of a trailblazer in Hollywood for not only her remarkable film career, but also in her tireless advocacy championing underrepresented voices in film and other forms of media,” noted Neuhauser. “We could not be more honored to present her with the second ever Viola Davis Trailblazer Award.”
Davis’ Bentonville Film Festival has partnered with The Coca-Cola® Refreshing Films program in their shared mission of supporting the next generation of creative talent. Davis, together with the film festival, will participate in the Coca-Cola Refreshing Films Red Ribbon Panel to select this year’s Grand Prize-winning film. The winning film, along with the three other entrants, will be showcased at this year’s CinemaCon.
Davis earned her first Academy Award® for Best Actress in a Supporting Role with her portrayal of Muriel Pritchett in The Accidental Tourist. She continued to captivate audiences, earning both an Academy Award® and a Golden Globe® nomination for her role alongside Susan Sarandon in Thelma & Louise, along with a Golden Globe® nomination for her depiction of baseball star Dottie Hinson in A League of Their Own. Additional film credits include such films as Tootsie, The Fly, Beetlejuice, Angie, The Long Kiss Goodnight, and Stuart Little. In 2006, she earned a Golden Globe® Award for her groundbreaking portrayal of the first female President of the United States in ABC’s Commander in Chief. Most recently, Davis was honored with her second Oscar® upon receiving the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.
Davis is the Founder and Chair of the non-profit the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, which works to reinvent, transform and inspire how global content creators and media tell stories through authentic portrayals of the population in entertainment. In 2022, the Institute received the prestigious Governor’s Award Emmy from the Television Academy for its profound, transformational and long-lasting contribution to the arts and science of television.
Additionally, she served as Executive Producer for impactful projects like the Gracie Award-winning documentary This Changes Everything and the Emmy-nominated TV show Mission Unstoppable now in its fifth season.
About CinemaCon®
CinemaCon attracts upwards of 6,000 motion picture professionals from all facets of the industry -- from exhibition and distribution, to the equipment and concession areas -- all on hand to celebrate the movie-going experience and the cinema industry.
CinemaCon is delighted to have both the International Cinema Technology Association (ICTA) and National Association of Concessionaires (NAC) as its trade show partners. CinemaCon is also thrilled to have The Coca-Cola Company –- one of the industry’s most highly regarded and respected partners in the world of the movies -– as its official presenting sponsor.
About NATO
The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) is the largest exhibition trade organization in the world, representing more than 32,000 movie screens in all 50 states, and more than 30,000 screens in 100 countries worldwide. NATO’s membership includes the largest cinema chains in the world as well as hundreds of independent theatre owners.
About the Coca-Cola® Refreshing Films
The Coca-Cola Refreshing Films program is a platform at partnered schools for up-and-coming filmmakers to create content for the big screen. The goal of the program is to help all participating filmmakers further their careers and provide a real-world professional opportunity to work with a global brand. 2024 marks the program's 26th year. It's currently the longest running branded film program in the US. The program partners with over 60 schools, including top film schools, as well as lesser-known programs. The 2024 filmmakers will all be attending CinemaCon. Learn more at www.CocaColaRefreshingFilms.com and follow us on Instagram @CocaColaRefreshingFilms.
About BFFoundation
BFFoundation is a non-profit organization focused on promoting underrepresented voices of diverse storytellers. We amplify storytellers who identify as female, non-binary, LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and people with disabilities in entertainment and media. We do this through research, education, and supporting the production and distribution of inclusive content. BFFoundation is focused on working with its partners to foster inclusivity in media and entertainment to be a positive influence in the community at large.
About the Bentonville Film Festival
Led by two-time Academy Award® winner Geena Davis, the Bentonville Film Festival is an annual event produced by the BFFoundation (501c3) that champions inclusion in all media in partnership with the founding partner, Walmart, and presenting partner, Coca-Cola. The Bentonville Film Festival is held annually in Bentonville, Arkansas and online.
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