The Groundlings Theatre & School To Be Honored At 5th Annual Mammoth Lakes Film Festival

The fifth annual Mammoth Lakes Film Festival (MLFF), taking place May 22 through 26, is pleased to announce this year's Sierra Spirit Award honoree and Closing Night film.

MLFF will honor the esteemed alumni of legendary comedy organization, The Groundlings Theatre and School, with the Sierra Spirit Award for their remarkable contributions to the world of television and film. With an influence spanning decades, The Groundlings Theatre and School was founded as a non-profit organization in 1974 and has been the foremost comedy training ground in Hollywood and the springboard for countless careers including comic geniuses such as Jennifer Coolidge, Will Ferrell, Ana Gasteyer, Kathy Griffin, Phil Hartman, Cheryl Hines, Chris Kattan, Taran Killam, Lisa Kudrow, Jon Lovitz, Melissa McCarthy, Cheri Oteri, Paul Reubens, Maya Rudolph, Mindy Sterling, Julia Sweeney and Kristen Wiig, among others.

Accepting the award on behalf of The Groundlings are Jordan Black (writer for Saturday Night Live, Last Man Standing), Ryan Gaul (The Last O.G., Superstore), Cheri Oteri (Saturday Night Live, Scary Movie) and Julia Sweeney (Saturday Night Live, Shrill) who will take part in a conversation about their careers both in and outside the theater. The ceremony will take place on Saturday, May 25. Previous festival honorees have included Academy Award-winning actress Melissa Leo, and directors Joe Dante and John Sayles.

To close out this year's festival, MLFF will screen Tribeca Film Festival's documentary darling, XY Chelsea. The film takes a look at the life and career of Chelsea Manning, a trans woman solider in the United States Army, who was sentenced to serve 35 years at an all-male military prison for leaking information about the country's was in Iraq and Afghanistan. The screening will take place on Sunday, May 26.

"We're eager to share this year's compelling lineup with our audiences," said Festival Director Shira Dubrovner. "The educational and inspirational programming our team has put together is nothing short of outstanding, and we're also thrilled to be honoring the incomparable Groundlings Theatre and School as the recipients of this year's Sierra Spirit Award."

Now in its fifth year, the Mammoth Lakes Film Festival is proud to showcase the work of emerging, innovative filmmakers and artists against the backdrop of California's ruggedly beautiful vacation destination. The festival will begin on Wednesday, May 22 with their Opening Night film, In Fabric. Throughout the week there are scheduled competition screenings, spotlight presentation screenings and VIP receptions, concluding on Sunday, May 26 with the Closing Night film, XY Chelsea, followed by the Awards Ceremony.

The Mammoth Lakes Film Festival, held in the scenic and majestic setting of Mammoth Lakes in the Eastern Sierra region of California, brings together world-class cinema, emerging filmmakers, industry veterans, and audiences from around the world to celebrate films with thought-provoking stories. The Mammoth Lakes Film Festival is a DBA under Mammoth Lakes Foundation-the nonprofit founded in 1989 by Dave McCoy (who also founded Mammoth Mountain Ski Area in 1953). Dave McCoy turns 104 years old this August and is excited to be a part of the fifth annual Mammoth Lakes Film Festival. Visit www.MammothLakesFilmFestival.com for more information or connect on Facebook and Twitter.

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