The 2024 San Luis Obispo International Film Festival (SLOIFF) has announced that actress/director Heather Graham is this year’s King Vidor Award for Excellence in Filmmaking honoree. Celebrating its 30th Anniversary, the festival takes place in the beautiful Central Coast city of San Luis Obispo, situated halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, from April 25 through April 30.
Graham will receive the King Vidor Award at an official ceremony on Saturday, April 27, at the Hotel San Luis Obispo. A noon reception starts the festivities, followed by a “Conversation with Heather Graham.” A screening of her film, Chosen Family, which she wrote, directed and stars in, is scheduled for 5pm at the historic Fremont Theatre.
In Chosen Family, Ann (Heather Graham), a yoga teacher, struggles with her chaotic family and dismal dating life while battling her inability to say no and fix everyone’s problems. Struggling to repair her estranged relationship with her sister Clio (Julia Stiles) Ann relies on her friends Roz (Andrea Savage), Max (Thomas Lennon) and Frances (Odessa Rae) to be her rock and guide her through life’s troubling decisions.
Heather Graham discovered her passion for acting at an early age and caught the attention of filmmakers with her breakout role in Gus Van Sant’s Drugstore Cowboy, for which she received an Independent Spirit Award nomination. She went on to land unforgettable roles in the 1997 classic Boogie Nights, for which she received the MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance, in 1999’s Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me and in 2009’s The Hangover alongside Bradley Cooper and Zach Galifinakis.
In 2023, Graham could be seen in a variety of films including: The Other Zoey, a rom-com from director Sara Zandieh, alongside Andie MacDowell and Patrick Fabian; Netflix’s holiday film Best Christmas Ever with Brandy Norwood, Jason Biggs and Matt Cedeño; Suitable Flesh, which is streaming on Shudder, with Barbara Crampton; horror film Oracle; and opposite Dennis Quaid in MGM & LightWorkers’ On A Wing And A Prayer. She also appeared in the Apple TV+ series Extrapolations.
Graham has expanded into writing, directing, and producing, proving herself to be a leading multi-hyphenate talent. The critically acclaimed Half Magic, a film she wrote and directed, was released in theaters and on VOD in February 2018.
Written and directed by Graham, Chosen Family, made its world debut at the 2024 Santa Barbara Film Festival. Additionally, she’s set to star opposite Tom Hopper in Place of Bones, which is set for a 2024 release.
“Heather Graham embodies unwavering support for the independent film industry, earning her status as a beloved icon whose presence we deeply treasure and admire. We are honored with the privilege of not only acknowledging her remarkable contributions but also reveling in the spirit of this extraordinary woman. As the festival has been led by women for three decades, we’re honored to celebrate our anniversary with an incredible talent,” said SLOIFF Executive Director Skye McLennan.
Past recipients of the King Vidor Award for Excellence in Filmmaking include Lawrence Kasdan, Pam Grier, Josh Brolin, Peter Bogdanovich, Jeff Bridges, Ann-Margret, Morgan Freeman, Eva Marie Saint, and Robert Wise, among many others.
More information on the film festival can be found at https://slofilmfest.org. All-Access passholders may attend the King Vidor event with an RSVP in advance. A limited number of tickets will also be available for purchase.
THE KING VIDOR AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN FILMMAKING
King Vidor, a long-time resident of San Luis Obispo County, holds the record in the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest career as a film director: beginning in 1913 with Hurricane in Galveston and ending in 1980 with a documentary called The Metaphor. In the course of his career, he directed sixty-four films, including War and Peace, The Fountainhead, and second-unit work on The Wizard of Oz and Gone With the Wind. He made the transition from silent to sound and from black-and-white to color film, and he was nominated for five Academy Awards. King Vidor lives on through this noble namesake presentation, bestowed each year on the industry’s most deserving honorees.
ABOUT SAN LUIS OBISPO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2024, the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival is a six-day annual event, showcasing creative, diverse, and impactful works from around the world in a variety of venues, from the city’s classic art deco Fremont Theatre, to the vintage Palm Theatre. The 2024 festival will run from April 25-30, Encore, taking place in Paso Robles, is held from May 2-5. Tickets and festival passes can be purchased here.
Located half-way between Los Angeles and San Francisco, San Luis Obispo with laid-back vibe and serene natural beauty is the perfect setting for this highly regarded annual film celebration. Filmmakers rave about the warmth and attentiveness that is so much a part of the SLO Int’l Film Festival experience, as do the industry pros and film critics who are fast discovering the fest’s thoughtful audiences and unique programming sensibility.
