Stanley Donen to be Honored by 25th Israel Film Festival

Legendary film director and choreographer Stanley Donen will be honored with the IFF (Israel Film Festival) Lifetime AchievementAward at the Opening Night Gala for the 25th Anniversary Israel Film Festival, taking place Thursday, May 5th at the Paris Theatre in New York City (5:30pm reception. Awards & Screening at 7:30pm), it was announced today by Meir Fenigstein, Founder and Executive Director of the Israel Film Festival. TheFestival will be held in New York City May 5-19, 2011.

Stanley Donen was born in Columbia, South Carolina. He began dancing as a child and made his Broadway debut at age 16 in Pal Joey. After heading to Hollywood, Donen began a long and successful career in film. While working with the greatest dancers of the time, he directed several of the most highly regarded musicals ever to emerge from Hollywood including Singin' in the Rain, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and On the Town. Donen also went on to make numerous other cherished films such as Charade and Two for the Road. Donen has received much praise and many awards for his wonderful contributions and in 1998 received an Academy Award for lifetime achievement "in appreciation of a body of work marked by grace, elegance, wit, and visual innovation."

"Stanley Donen has had an extraordinary legacy in film having directed many of the most beloved American musicals of all time," said Fenigstein. "Singin' in the Rain and other Donen classics have inspired millions of moviegoers in Israel and around the world," added Fenigstein.

Previously announced honorees include award-winning actor Liev Schreiber whose recent credits include Salt, Defiance and X-Men Origins: Wolverine and who will be honored with the IFF Achievement in Film Award,and Israeli producer/director Micha Shagrir, who is responsible for some of Israel's most renowned films and documentaries, who will receive the IFF Cinematic Achievement Award. The opening night film is Intimate Grammar directed by Nir Bergman.

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