Malcolm McDowell And Ellen Kuras, ASC, Are Lifetime Achievement Honorees At The 19th Annual Ojai Film Festival

The Ojai Film Festival annually honors an actor and a cinematographer for a lifetime of outstanding works. This year, the Lifetime Achievement Award for Acting goes to Ojai local Malcolm McDowell who is recognized for his six-decades of cutting-edge work, which includes his roles as Alex DeLarge in Stanley Kubrick's Clockwork Orange, picaresque Mick Travis in Lindsay Anderson's trilogy (If, O Lucky Man! and Britannia Hospital) and movie-mogul Terrence McQuewick in HBO's Entourage.

As a young actor, McDowell caught the attention of director Lindsay Anderson who cast him in the role of a rebellious student in his film If.... (1968). The film catapulted Malcolm to stardom in Britain. He felt so enthusiastic about the film's success that he wanted to do another right away. He wrote what became the semi-autobiographical O Lucky Man! (1973). That film will be shown on November 3 at the Art Center Theater at 7 pm and will be followed by a Q&A with Mr. McDowell led by actor/writer Peter Fox. Afterwards, a reception takes place in the Art Center Gallery to honor him and is open to the public.

This year's recipient for the Lifetime Achievement in Cinematography goes to one of the first women members of the American Society of Cinematographers, Ellen Kuras, ASC, widely regarded as a pioneer for all filmmakers. She easily moves between the studio and independent film worlds with a repertoire that includes narrative, documentary, music films and commercials.

Well-known for her visually stunning work on Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) and Blow (2001), Ms. Kuras is the unprecedented three-time winner of the Best Dramatic Cinematography at Sundance. She has also won the Eastman Kodak Focus Award, Women in Film Kodak Vision Award and has been nominated for numerous Emmys, an Oscar and the Independent Spirit Award. She was the first cinematographer to receive a Gotham Award for her entire body of work. Stuart Crowner will interview Ms. Kuras about her career and show clips from her various projects on Saturday, November 3 at 4 pm in the Ojai Art Center Gallery.

"Recognizing that the production of cinema is the work of many professionals," said Jonathan Lambert, Film Festival president, "it gives us great pleasure to annually award two Lifetime Achievement Awards, one to an actor and the other to a cinematographer. This year we celebrate the careers of Malcolm McDowell and Ellen Kuras. We believe their expertise will inspire young filmmakers who both submit to and subsequently attend the Festival."

At a Sunday Awards Brunch (November 4 at 11 am in the Art Center Courtyard) the Festival not only presents trophies to the winning film but gives its Lifetime Achievement Awards.

Tickets are available for the McDowell screening, Q&A and reception, Ms. Kuras' seminar on cinematography, the Awards Brunch and other seminars and screenings at: OjaiFilmFestival.com. The Festival runs November 1 - 11.