Sharon Stone to Be Honored With Stanley Kramer 'Social Artist' Award at 2013 Catalina Film Festival, 9/18

Catalina Film Festival (CFF) today announced that famed actress Sharon Stone will be honored at this year's festival with the Inaugural Stanley Kramer "Social Artist" award. The award honors a film professional whose work embodies Stanley Kramer's qualities of social consciousness within their artistry while taking risks to create and influence a social transformation. The Festival, spanning five days of films, parties and celebrity attendees will be held Sept. 18-22, 2013 on the famed Catalina Island. Stone will received the award during a ceremony on the Island, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2013.

Stone's outstanding career has spanned 30 years, while she has selflessly used her celebrity, influence and resources to lead fundraising efforts for American Foundation for Aids Research (AMFAR), for which she has been a spokesperson since 1995, and other causes including Habitat for Humanity, Global Fund to Fight Aids Tuberculosis and Malaria, Lupus LA and more.

"I am deeply honored to receive the Stanley Kramer Award," said Stone. "Mr. Kramer spent his life as a filmmaker creating films that would demonstrate a greater humanity; one where race, religion, higher thinking and spiritual elegance would be at the forefront of his purpose. He bore the responsibility of his positive actions with the grace and endurance of a goodly warrior. Time and truth reveals the impact of his thoughtful and meaningful choices."

The honor coincides with Stanley Kramer's Centennial Birthday Celebration (www.stanleykramer100.com). Kramer was no stranger to Catalina, having shot the film "Bless the Beasts and the Children" on the island in 1970.

"Activism is more than necessary today with regard to social issues. It is our responsibility as artists ourselves to become involved and to payback for the good that has been bestowed upon us by bestowing good upon others," said the late Stanley Kramer's wife and daughter, respectively. "We are honored to recognize Sharon Stone as the first recipient of the Stanley Kramer Social Artist Award. Sharon is a true artist who exemplifies standing up for the issues she believes in, and using her renowned status to improve the world around her."

Other guests confirmed to attend CFF include Jon Favreau, Patricia Arquette, Michael Rapaport, Jaime Pressly, Ian Ziering, Lisa Bonet, Nikki Reed, Billy Zane and more.

CFF is a competitive festival and film market. Festivalgoers can experience the West Coast's only resort island while taking in 75 films, nightly parties and networking. Sponsors include Horseshoe Bend Vineyards, E com Merchant Solutions and The Cafaro Group. For more information, visit www.CatalinaFilm.org.

About Catalina Film Festival
Catalina Film Festival, an annual celebration of film on the only West Coast resort island, features 75 films, nightly events and entertainment, just 26 miles off the coast of Los Angeles. CFF's beneficiary is the Catalina Island Conservancy.