Photo courtesy of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences held the 16th Governors Awards at the Ray Dolby Ballroom in Hollywood, Los Angeles, on Nov.16.
Honorary Awards were presented to Debbie Allen by Cynthia Erivo, Tom Cruise by Alejandro González Iñárritu and Wynn Thomas by Octavia Spencer. The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award was presented to Dolly Parton* by Lily Tomlin (*Governors Award acceptance recorded in Nashville). The awards, which are all Oscar® statuettes, were voted on by the Academy’s Board of Governors this past June.
This event was produced by Oscar-nominated producer Jennifer Fox and hosted by Will Arnett, with a welcome by Academy President Lynette Howell Taylor.
The 16th Governors Awards are supported and presented in partnership with Rolex, the Exclusive Watch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Film director Michelle Danner is releasing “The Italians,” a quirky
dramedy about family, love, and tantalizing Italian cooking.
“The Italians” shows the Vitali Family, an Italian-American family, as they meet their
son's new fiance who is decidedly not Italian.
Director Michelle Danner says: “This is a deeply touching story about loving family,
forgiving family and irresistible Italian food.”
“The Italians” is Danner’s eighth directorial project following on the heels of her latest
success, “Miranda’s Victim,” which was released last fall and told the incredible true
story about the creation of the Miranda Warning after the brutal assault on 18-year-old
Patricia Weir.
A renowned acting teacher and co-founder of the Creative Center for the Arts (formerly
known as Edgemar Center for the Arts) and the Los Angeles Acting Conservatory,
Danner’s list of students has included Christian Slater, Salma Hayek, Gerard Butler,
Seth MacFarlane, Penelope Cruz, Chris Rock, Gabrielle Union and Zooey Deschanel.
"The Italians" premiered at the ITALIA Los Angeles Fashion and Art Festival in March
where Danner was awarded Best Director, and has since screened at the Cinequest Film Festival,
the San Luis Obispo Film Festival, and the prestigious Ischia Global Film Festival where it had
its international premiere. Its other accolades include Best Actress for Kazan at the Nevada
Women’s Film Festival, Best Actress for Breslin and Best Director at the Seattle Film Festival,
Best Film at the Berlin Indie Film Festival, Best Film at the Los Angeles International Film
Festival, Best Feature Film at the Paris Play Film Festival, and the Award of Excellence and
Outstanding Achievement at the Accolade Film Festival. The film released on April 10th, 2025 on
Amazon Prime Video, Apple, Google Play, and Vudu.
