SCIFF Lifetime Achievement Nod to Arthur Hiller; Director's `Silver Streak' in Hollywood Goes Gold at Intl Film Fest; Disney's Frank & Ollie Lifetime Honorees; Ava Fries Named Humanitarian.

Entertainment Editors

LOS ANGELES--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--Feb. 20, 2001

Director Arthur Hiller, best known for directing "Love Story," today received a long-overdue love letter from the indie side of the entertainment industry: Santa Clarita International Film Festival (SCIFF), which fetes family-friendly films, will present Hiller with the 2001 Lifetime Achievement Award on March 16.

Also honored as 2001 Lifetime Achievement winners are legendary Disney animators Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, whose 40-year partnership and work on classics such as "Bambi" and "Fantasia" continue to thrill generations later. Producer's Guild member Ava Fries (writer/producer "Troop Beverly Hills"), a longtime entertainment industry supporter and children's-film advocate, will pick up the 2001 Humanitarian Award.

Hiller, who ushered in the genre of black/white buddy movies with the Gene Wilder-Richard Pryor pairing in "Silver Streak" and subsequent comedies, will attend SCIFF in Santa Clarita (about 30 miles north of Los Angeles), which runs March 9 - 16, along with Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston, Ava Fries and other celebrity guests.

Past president of the Director's Guild of America, the director will address his approach to a storied career that includes playful hits like "Outrageous Fortune" as well as groundbreaking films like the original "The Out of Towners" (starring Jack Lemmon and Sandy Dennis), during the official SCIFF Awards Ceremony at the Valencia Hyatt at 6:30 p.m. on March 16.

Having worked with some of the brightest lights in the business -- from the iconic Claudette Colbert, Al Pacino and Warren Beatty to the late, great Walter Matthau -- Hiller has said that his movies are "all relationship movies in which people undergo a life change, for the better."

Festival Executive Director Chris Shoemaker said "Hiller's nomination proves that complex, intelligent films can also be family friendly and exceptionally entertaining. And anyone who has ever seen a Disney classic has Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston to thank for their playful imaginations and stunning artistic execution of cel animation. Add Ava Fries to our mix of honorees, and we know this awards ceremony will be a wonderful event for the public and the industry."

SCIFF is a non-profit that showcases engaging, family-appropriate films, industry-related workshops and seminars. Entries this year have come in from participating countries Iran, Syria, Ireland, Hungary, Romania and India to name a few.

The weeklong international festival is open to public and will screen more than 50 films. Included among the world premieres will be "Share the Vision", written and directed by Scott Forsman (made in association with the Distinguished Speakers Series), which highlights children's interviews with Walter Cronkite, Henry Kissinger, Carl Reiner, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Ben Bradlee (Washington Post) and even the Dalai Lama. Go to www.sciff.org or contact Q. Johnson, 310/440-0184.