From Rebecca Murray,
Your Guide to Hollywood Movies.
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HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Sept. 1, 2004 - The Hollywood Film Festival's Board of Advisors is proud to announce that this year's festival will honor multi-talented thespian Jamie Foxx with the "Hollywood Breakthrough Award - Male Performer," rising star Keira Knightley with the "Hollywood Breakthrough Award - Female Performer," and DreamWorks' "Shrek 2" with its "Hollywood Animation Award."

The awards will be bestowed upon the honorees as part of the Hollywood Awards Gala Ceremony on Monday evening, October 18, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Other industry professionals who will be honored for their achievements at the Gala Awards Ceremony are UCLA School of Theatre, Film and Television Dean Robert Rosen for film preservation, John Logan for screenwriting, Caleb Deschanel for cinematography, Sally Menke for editing, Thomas Newman for film composing, John Dykstra for visual effects, Albert Wolsky for costume design, Stuart Craig for production design, Ve Neill for make-up and Debra Zane for casting.

Says festival founder Carlos de Abreu, "Every year we are very proud to honor excellence in the art of filmmaking, from Hollywood icons to the stars of today and tomorrow, and to their great films."

Jamie Foxx stars in the upcoming "Ray," the never-before-told musical biographical drama of American legend Ray Charles. Featuring a remarkable performance from Foxx in the central role, Ray follows the inspiring story of a one-of-a-kind genius. Directed by Taylor Hackford, the movie chronicles Ray Charles' struggles through poverty, blindness, racism and drug addiction as he rose to become a music icon. Mr. Foxx recently starred in "Collateral" with Tom Cruise, and he is set to star in the action thriller "Stealth," for director Rob Cohen, slated for release in 2005. His previous films have included Oliver Stone's "Any Given Sunday" and co-starring with Will Smith in "Ali," as well as "Bait," "The Truth About Cats & Dogs," and "The Great White Hype." Jamie Foxx came to fame as a stand-up comedian and comedy actor on such shows as "In Living Color" and "Roc," then launched his own highly successful series "The Jamie Foxx Show."

Keira Knightley can be seen currently starring in Touchstone Pictures' "King Arthur." Her recent credits include the female lead in "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl," "Love Actually," "Pure," "Bend It Like Beckham" and the role of Lara in the miniseries "Doctor Zhivago." She will soon be seen starring opposite Adrien Brody in "The Jacket," is in production on "Pride and Prejudice" for Universal, and is set to star in "Domino" for Tony Scott and New Line Cinema. Born in London, Ms. Knightley is the daughter of playwright Sharman Macdonald and actor Will Knightley. She made her film debut in "A Village Affair," and followed with parts in "Innocent Lies," the telefilms "Treasure Seekers" and "Coming Home," and in "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace." She also performed in the TV miniseries "Oliver Twist" and the telefilm "Princess of Thieves."

"SHREK 2" continues the adventures of the lovable Ogre and Princess Fiona first seen in "Shrek" (2001). DreamWorks' phenomenal blockbuster "Shrek 2" opened this summer with an extraordinary $410.6 million in box office receipts on its opening July 4th weekend. Starring the voices of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Julie Andrews, Antonio Banderas, John Cleese, Rupert Everett, and Jennifer Saunders, the film was directed by Andrew Adamson (who co-directed "Shrek"), Kelly Asbury, and Conrad Vernon. "Shrek 2" was nominated for the Golden Palm award this year at the Cannes Film Festival.

The 2004 Annual Hollywood Film Festival, which will take place from October 12 to 18, incorporates in its activities the HOLLYWOOD FILM CONFERENCE, HOLLYWOOD FILM SCREENINGS, and HOLLYWOOD FILM AWARDS. The screenings and conference will take place at the Arclight Theatres in Hollywood. The Hollywood Film Awards Gala Ceremony will take place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, Monday, October 18, 2004.

PRESS RELEASE ISSUED BY HOLLYWOOD FILM FESTIVAL