Stephan James (“If Beale Street Could Talk,” “Surface”) and Phil Rosenthal (“Somebody Feed Phil,” “Everybody Loves Raymond”) have been added to the list of honorees at this year’s Banff World Media Festival. Also announced: South Korea has been selected as this year’s “country of honor.” And they’ll be joined by Hans Zimmer, who was previously announced as this year’s recipient of the career achievement award.
During the combined Gala Awards and Rockie Awards on Monday, June 9 — the first time both of the celebrations at the Banff fest have been merged — James, Rosenthal, Zimmer and others will be honored.
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James will receive the Canadian Award of Distinction, presented by the Canada Media Fund (CMF/FMC) and MadeNous, which is given to “a Canadian whose body of work exemplifies outstanding achievement in the entertainment industry.” Past honorees include Simu Liu, Eric McCormack, Kim Cattrall, Sheila Hockin and Jean-Marc Vallée. Actor Shamier Anderson (“Invasion”) will present the award to his brother, James.
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Rosenthal will be given the Award of Excellence, which “acknowledges exceptional achievement through a body of work over an extended period of time.” Past honorees include Sharon Horgan, Paul Feig, Jeremy Podeswa, Kenny Ortega, Eugene Levy, Carol Mendelsohn, David E. Kelley and Kevin Beggs.
As for the Country of Honor, KOCCA president Hyun Suk Yoo will accept on behalf of South Korea. “This distinguished recognition highlights Korea’s global influence on the entertainment industry and its trailblazing producers, media companies, and content creators,” Banff said.
Besides the Career Achievement Award for Zimmer, the event will also for the first time announce the Carrie Hunter Emerging Talent Prize. Named for Banff World Media Festival founding exec director Hunter, “this award celebrates her enduring legacy of championing new voices and fostering creative excellence in the Canadian media landscape. The Prize recognizes an up-and-coming Canadian producer or creator whose early work demonstrates exceptional promise, originality, and a strong potential for impact on the national and international stage.”
“Canada’s Drag Race” Season 1 winner Priyanka will host the ceremony, which will also hand out 30 awards across Documentary, Factual, Scripted, Podcast, Arts & Entertainment and Youth categories, as well as a $25,000 Rogers Prize for Excellence in Canadian Content and the Prix Francophone for top French-language production.
This year’s Rockie Awards announced 152 nominees from 22 countries in 30 categories; new competitions this year were Best Performance in a Drama and Best Performance in a Comedy.
The Banff World Media Festival takes place in Banff, Alberta, Canada, from June 8 to June 12.
