Hollywood, CA. -- June 24, 1998 -- The 2nd Annual Hollywood Film Festival has announced that distinguished producers Richard Zanuck and David Brown; whose blockbuster hits include The Sting, Jaws, The Verdict, Cocoon, Driving Miss Daisy, and the recently released Deep Impact; will be honored with the festival's "Hollywood Outstanding Achievement in Producing Award." The award will be bestowed upon Mr. Zanuck and Mr. Brown by award-winning director Mimi Leder (The Peacemaker, Deep Impact) as part of the gala awards ceremony to be held on Monday evening, August 10, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. The announcement was made today by Carlos de Abreu, Founder and Executive Director of the Hollywood Film Festival.

Regarding the announcement, Mr. de Abreu states, "Mr. Zanuck and Mr. Brown are two of Hollywood's most highly acclaimed and successful independent producers. Their distinguished careers in the motion picture industry serve as a perfect example of what up-and-coming producers should strive for."

Richard D. Zanuck became the head of Twentieth Century Fox at the early age of 28, making him, at the time, the youngest studio chief in history. While there, the studio earned over 150 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture awards for The Sound of Music, The French Connection, and Patton. In 1971, he formed the Zanuck/Brown Co. with David Brown, which soon became a highly successful independent production company. The duo won Best Picture Oscars for The Sting and, with Lili Fini Zanuck, Driving Miss Daisy in 1990. Zanuck/Brown were also responsible for the Academy Award-nominated films Jaws and The Verdict, as well as Jaws 2 and Cocoon. In 1991, Mr. Zanuck and Mr. Brown were honored with the prestigious Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award from the Motion Picture Academy, which made Zanuck the only second generation recipient ever, in company with his father, Darryl F. Zanuck. Richard and Darryl are also the only father and son in motion picture history to both win "Best Picture" Oscars.

The Hollywood Film Festival was founded by New York Times bestselling authors Carlos de Abreu and Janice Pennington to discover neophyte talent from the global creative community and to introduce their work to mainstream Hollywood. Co-founders, chairs, and co-chairs include Alex Ben Block, Laifun Chung, Gene Hackman, Peter Hyams, Ted Kotcheff, Mimi Leder, John Briley, George Litto, David Permut, Bob Klane, James Orr, Fred Roos, Mark Rydell, and many other Hollywood notables.

Last year's Hollywood Film Festival was a resounding success with more than 400 film submissions, 140 industry professionals as panelists and guests, and thousands of attendees. Distributors and agencies that participated included CAA, William Morris, ICM, Miramax, New Line, Goldwyn, Fox Searchlight and the Overseas Film Group. The Festival was attended by many stars and celebrities such as Barbra Streisand, James Brolin, Kirstie Alley, Martin Landau, Graham Nash, and Kirk Douglas, among many others.

Carlos de Abreu, Founder, Executive Director
Hollywood Film Festival
(310) 288-1882