Kate Bosworth, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Lynn Shelton join Gwyneth Paltrow as honorees of the 2018 Sun Valley Film Festival. Kate Bosworth will receive the Pioneer Award, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II will receive the Rising Star Award and Lynn Shelton receive the High Scribe Award and host the Screenwriter’s Lab. In addition, Sir Sly will be the special musical guests performing at the SVFF Awards Bash.
KATE BOSWORTH
SVFF will honor Kate Bosworth with the annual Pioneer Award presented by Nat Geo WILD. She is the first female producer to receive the award following past recipient Mark Duplass. It will be presented at a private reception on Friday, March 16 and she will be participating in the Nat Geo WILD’s Salon Seriesat Festival HQ.
Under MAKE PICTURES PRODUCTIONS, her newly formed production company with husband filmmaker Michael Polish, Bosworth executive produced and appeared in NONA, a feature film that sheds light on the brutality of Central America’s sex trafficking industry. The screenplay was written and the picture directed by Polish. Bosworth most recently starred in National Geographic’s The Long Road Home and leads MGM’s upcoming post-apocalyptic drama, The Domestics. Her other film credits include Black Rock, Blue Crush, Big Sur, Homefront, The Horse Whisperer, Still Alice, Straw Dogs and Superman Returns.
YAHYA ABDUL-MATEEN
The Festival will also present burgeoning talent Yahya Abdul-Mateen II with the second annual rising star award for breakthrough talent in the film and television industry. He will receive the award in a private reception and will be participating in the Nat Geo WILD’s Salon Series at Festival HQ.
Known for his role as Cadillac on Baz Luhrman’s acclaimed series The Get Down, Abdul-Mateen II has also played opposite Dwayne Johnson in Baywatch and Hugh Jackman in The Greatest Showman. He is set to star alongside Jason Momoa as villain Black Manta in DC’s upcoming Aquaman.
LYNN SHELTON
Lynn Shelton, award winning writer and director, will receive the High Scribe Award and host the Screenwriters Lab, sponsored by Variety on Saturday, March 17th.
Shelton’s work has screened at TIFF, Sundance, Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, Slamdance, SXSW, and Deauville and been honored at several of those including 2009 Sundance Special Jury Prize and two Independent Spirit Awards—the Acura Someone To Watch Award and the John Cassavetes Award. Shelton has directed a number of television shows, including Mad Men, Master of None, Casual, Love, Santa Clarita Diet, The Mindy Project, New Girl, Shameless, Fresh Off The Boat, and GLOW.
Academy Award nominated producer Kevin Walsh will attend as judge of the SVFF High Scribe screenplay competition. As the President of Ridley Scott’s production banner Scott Free Films, Kevin has overseen such films as Murder on the Orient Express, Bladerunner, Zoe, and All the Money in the World. Kevin was named one of Variety’s “10 Producers to Watch.”
SIR SLY
Indie Pop Band Sir Sly will join the 2018 Festival as the headliners of the SVFF Awards Bash, presented by Tito’s Handmade Vodka, on Saturday, March 17th at Whiskey Jacques.
Led by frontman Landon Jacobs and instrumentalists Hayden Coplen and Jason Suwito, Sir Sly has released two full length albums: You Haunt Me in 2013 and Don’t You Worry, Honey just last year. Their hit singles “Gold,” “You Haunt Me” and “High” have spent multiple weeks on Billboard, Sirius, and Rock Airplay charts. The band is currently on tour in the US with scheduled stops at both Coachella and Bonnaroo music festival.