Taraji P. Henson urged artists to “knock down” walls Sunday as the Newport Beach Film Festival opened its awards-season calendar with the 27th annual Festival Honors brunch at the Balboa Bay Resort. Henson, an Oscar nominee, received the Artist of Distinction Award for “’Tis So Sweet.” She spoke about art’s capacity to defend dignity and create possibility. Casting director Sarah Finn took the Casting Visionary Award for “Wild Horse Nine” and used her time on stage to praise the collaborative craft behind casting.
The festival also honored Jack O’Connell, the BAFTA Rising Star winner, with the Outstanding Achievement in Acting Award for “Ink.” Mckenna Grace, who stars in “The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping,” received the Spotlight Award, and Sosie Bacon won the Breakout Award for “Family Movie.”
The morning began with Variety’s 10 Actors to Watch panel, where performers from independent, international and studio projects compared notes on playing characters who defy easy labels. The class includes Esmé Creed-Miles (“Sense and Sensibility”), Mariana Di Girólamo (“Wild Horse Nine”), Rosalind Eleazar (“Misty Green”), Guitarricadelafuente (“La Bola Negra”), Summer H. Howell (“Carrie”), Jaafar Jackson (“Michael”), Ruth Madeley (“Being Heumann”), Inde Navarrette (“Obsession”), Ray Nicholson (“The Mosquito Bowl”) and Zada, who appears alongside Grace in the latest “Hunger Games” film.
Other honors fell outside the brunch. KJ Apa received a Spotlight Award at a Saturday screening of “Jimmy.” Justin Hartley collects an Artist of Distinction Award Monday at a Sunset Series event, and Jonás Cuarón receives the same honor at a screening of “Campeón Gabacho.”
The brunch carries weight beyond the ballroom. Organizers film it for a PBS SoCal broadcast timed to January’s awards voting window, which gives honorees exposure to the voters who shape nominations. Founded in 1999 by Gregg Schwenk and Todd Quartararo, the festival bills itself as the largest international cinema event in coastal Southern California. This year’s edition runs through Thursday with more than 100 features, and organizers expect more than 50,000 attendees. “Behemoth!” closes the festival.
