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Ruby Dee and Julie Harris plus Kevin Pollak, Kelli Garner, Agnes Brucker to be Honored

(March 22, 2006 : Calabasas, CA) The 8th annual The Method Fest Film Festival, presented by the City of Calabasas, has announced a select few awards to be bestowed during the upcoming festival to accomplished actors.

Don Franken, Creator and Executive Director of Method Fest, announced the awards today in Calabasas. “The Method Fest is the only festival completely dedicated to the actor, and the recipients are people we recognize as very deserving of these honors."

A highlight of the festival will be the Lifetime Achievement award that will be presented to two beloved actresses, Ruby Dee and Julie Harris. The pair appears in Michael Houston King’s The Way Back Home, a tale of a young man’s return home, which ultimately revisits the past. Julie Harris, well known to television audiences for her long-running role on “Knots Landing,” is an Oscar nominated actress known for her iconic performances in East of Eden and The Haunting. Ruby Dee became a star on "The Guiding Light" in the sixties, but has a wide following from her memorable role in Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing, and the Stephen King thriller The Stand. She won an Emmy for her role in the TV miniseries "Decoration Day.”

The first stop since Sundance and the West Coast premiere of Dreamland is set for opening night at The Method Fest on March 31 at the Motion Picture and Television Fund’s Louis B. Mayer Theater. Dreamland stars, Kelli Garner and Agnes Bruckner, will receive the Rising Star Award from the Method Fest at the star-studded premiere. “The Rising Star Award” will be presented to the actresses prior to the film screening. This will be at a red carpet Hollywood-style premiere. The actresses will also serve as guests on honor and honorary hosts of the Opening Night Gala at the scenic ValleyCrest Companies, high on the hill in Calabasas overlooking the entire region.

Kevin Pollack, known for his many character-driven roles in television and features including a memorable role in The Usual Suspects, will receive a Career Achievement Award from the Method Fest on Tuesday, April 4. Kevin appears in Niagara Motel, screening on Monday April 3^rd.

About Method Fest

Named after a famous school of acting, The Method Fest is the only major film festival in the U.S. focusing on acting, celebrating breakout acting performances in story driven independent films. The Method Fest takes great pride in being a discovery festival, looking to help launch the works of young fresh filmmakers and to discover breakthrough performances by young, bold new actors. The festival has also taken great delight in sharing career-defining performances of established performers and in showcasing a few chosen well-known directors to screen at the festival.

The Method Fest is presented by the City of Calabasas. Charter Communications and the L.A. Daily News are the presenting media sponsors. Golden Reel Sponsors include new Millennium Homes, Corona, Standard Pacific Homes, MSN Spaces, and Adelphia.

Silver Reel Sponsors are Bob Smith BMW, jetBlue, D2 Development, Motion Picture and Television Fund. The L.A. Auto Gallery is a Spinning Reel Sponsor.

Bronze Reel Sponsors include SAG Indie, the Screen Actors Guild, Prudential California Realty, Country Inn & Suites by Carlson, FilmFinders SONY, Christie, Modern VideoFilm, Aarmadillo, Valley of the Stars, Laemmle Theatres, and Wexler. ValleyCrest Companies, Viewpoint School's Carlson Family Theatre, and the Motion Picture and Television Fund's Louis B. Mayer Theatre are official venues.

Festival Supporters include Enterprise Rent-A-Car, indieprinting.com, Ice Age, Money Mailer, King's Fish House, Native Café, Sagebrush Cantina, Leonis Adobe, Too Tasty Catering, Maria's Italian Kitchen, Blue Table, Astrale e Terra Winery, Mi Piace, and Foxen Winery.

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Posted at 6:11:00 AM by Don