CinemaCon kicks off today in Las Vegas, and as the official convention of the National Association of Theater Owners gets underway, organizers have added another honoree to the roster: Geena Davis.
The Oscar winner will be feted with the Viola Davis Trailblazer Award during the Big Screen Achievement Awards inside the Colosseum at Caesars Palace on April 11.
“Geena Davis exemplifies the true essence of a trailblazer in Hollywood for not only her remarkable film career, but also in her tireless advocacy championing underrepresented voices in film and other forms of media,” said CinemaCon managing director Mitch Neuhauser. The trophy will be the second to carry the name after Davis was presented with the honor ahead of the release of The Woman King in 2022.
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Geena Davis will have other duties in Las Vegas. Her Bentonville Film Festival has partnered with the Coca-Cola Refreshing Films program in a shared mission of supporting next generation creative talent. Along with the fest, she will participate in the Coca-Cola Refreshing Films Red Ribbon Panel to select a grand prize-winning film, which will be showcased at CinemaCon.
Davis broke out with her first Oscar nomination for a supporting turn in The Accidental Tourist. She then earned an Academy Award and Golden Globe nomination for starring opposite Susan Sarandon in Thelma & Louise. Her other credits include A League of Their Own, Tootsie, The Fly, Beetlejuice, Angie, The Long Kiss Goodnight, Stuart Little and many others. Davis was recently feted with an Oscar by receiving the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. She serves as founder and chair of nonprofit the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media.
The Big Screen Achievement Awards, hosted by official presenting sponsor the Coca-Cola Company, will also see honors doled out to Amy Poehler (vanguard award), Lupita Nyong’o (star of the year), Shawn Levy (director of the year), Joseph Quinn (breakthrough performer of the year award), Dan Stevens (excellence in acting award) and Ariana Greenblatt (rising star of the year).
