FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Dania Warburton
Communications and Development Manager
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AVFILM ANNOUNCES MARCIA LUCAS, ACADEMY AWARD-WINNING EDITOR OF STAR WARS, TO RECEIVE THE 2023 IMPACT AWARD
Tickets are on sale now for two events with Marcia Lucas to celebrate the future of film in Sonoma County and raise funds to support AVFilm’s growing educational programs.
Healdsburg, Calif. (October 3, 2023) – AVFilm is pleased to announce that Marcia Lucas, Academy Award-Winning Editor of STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE, as well as TAXI DRIVER, AMERICAN GRAFFITI, and ALICE DOESN’T LIVE HERE ANY MORE, amongst others, will attend two distinct events in celebration of her extraordinary career. On Sunday, November 12, at 2 p.m., Lucas will join AVFilm Executive Director Kathryn Hecht and Sundance Director Emeritus John Cooper on stage at Ellis Auditorium for “A Conversation with Marcia Lucas” at the Petaluma campus of the Santa Rosa Junior College. On Monday, November 13th, at 5 p.m., Lucas will receive the 2023 Impact Award at Hollywood of Tomorrow, AVFilm’s annual educational fundraiser taking place at Little Saint in Healdsburg.
Tickets for “A Conversation with Marcia Lucas” are $50/$15 for students. Attendees can expect an intimate, deep dive into the world Lucas navigated and shaped with her landmark contributions to filmmaking.
Tickets for Hollywood of Tomorrow are $250 each and include signature cocktails, distinctive local wines, delectable hors d’oeuvres crafted by Little Saint’s world-renowned chef Stu Stalker, and live music from Heavyweight Champs.
About the honoree: Marcia Lucas is a renowned film editor, celebrated as a pivotal creative force behind the groundbreaking and iconic STAR WARS trilogy. Her uncanny ability to humanize stories and innovative editing techniques have left an indelible mark on the world of cinema. Lucas is a true luminary in the film industry, with an Academy Award, multiple award nominations, and a legacy that continues to shape how we experience movies.
Marcia’s career as an editor took off in the late 1960s while working on commercials. Her talents soon caught the attention of Verna Fields, one of the few respected female film editors of the time, who needed assistance cutting a documentary. Fields would also include a USC student, George Lucas, in this same project. From here, Marcia and George would form a professional and personal partnership that would change the course of cinematic history.
Marcia Lucas’s remarkable career as an editor, highlighted by her pivotal role in shaping the Star Wars franchise, cements her legacy as a trailblazing historical figure.
For the glass ceilings she shattered, her innovation in creating magical, groundbreaking cinema, and inspiring and captivating audiences all over the globe, Marcia Lucas is the recipient of the 2023 Impact Award.
At Hollywood of Tomorrow, in addition to Lucas’s Impact award, two local residents will be honored. The Student Filmmaker Award and Scholarship recognizes a student who demonstrates AVFilm’s core values. High school senior Ryn Hare of Lower Lake High School in Lake County will receive the award for her short film, STRAY. While participating in AVFilm’s 2023 Student Film Competition, Ryn captivated the audience and judges with her artistic excellence and creativity. “I worked on my film for six months,” Ryn said. “I came back to the competition this year to win it all.”
Nikko Kimzin will be honored with the Jackie Hoffner Heart & Hope Award, which celebrates someone who demonstrates heart, passion, optimism, and community impact. Nikko’s commitment to the Sonoma County Arts community as a change-maker and a trailblazer sets him apart as a man to be recognized. As Founder and Lead Consultant with Kimzin Creative, he works with local governments, schools/districts, and arts & culture organizations to create equitable access to culturally relevant arts processes and programming. Past honorees include Wendy Conner, Malinalli Lopez, Lizbeth Perez, and Susan Verde.
Since its inception in 2015, AVFilm has taught filmmaking fundamentals at classes and camps for thousands of students, K-12, and lifelong learners. In 2023, AVFilm expanded its offerings to 11 campuses throughout Sonoma County. Coupled with after-school programming and six week-long summer film camps in various locations, AVFilm will reach more than 750 students before the end of the school year. 25% of all summer film camp students attend on full scholarship.
Funds raised at the Impact Awards will enable AVFilm to continue offering scholarships to all education offerings, pay teaching artists a living wage, fill future classrooms with the equipment student filmmakers need, and propel the organization’s reach further.
In lieu of an auction, AVFilm is assembling a unique collection of buy-in community experiences inspired by film that will take place throughout the year. Attendees of the Impact Awards will have the first chance to purchase tickets to the buy-in experiences, which are likely to sell out that night.
Tickets for “A Conversation with Marcia Lucas” can be purchased here: https://avfilmpresents.org/events/aconversationwithmarcialucas/
Tickets for Hollywood of Tomorrow can be purchased here: https://auctria.events/hollywood-of-tomorrow
Find AVFilm online:
- Website: avfilmpresents.org
- Instagram: @avfilmofficial
- Facebook: Facebook.com/avfilmofficial
