Kathleen Kennedy To Accept The 2024 Polly Platt Award for Producing at the Austin Film Festival

Austin, Texas – Kathleen Kennedy, the iconic producer and President of Lucasfilm, is set to be honored with the prestigious Polly Platt Award for Producing at the upcoming Austin Film Festival’s Writers Conference taking place from October 24 – 27, 2024. This announcement has been made by the festival today.

Award Legacy

Initiated in 2019, the Polly Platt Award for Producing is given in recognition to producers with an exceptional sense of story management and history of encouraging burgeoning talent. This honor has had previous recipients including Lauren Shuler Donner (2023), Dede Gardner (2022), Stephanie Allain (2021), and Sarah Green (2019).

Kennedy’s Reaction

Kennedy, who also has to her name the Academy’s 2018 Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, Producers Guild of America Milestone award, and holds eight Academy Award nominations, expressed, “I am deeply honored to receive the Austin Film Festival’s Polly Platt Award for Producing. Polly was not only an incredible producer and mentor to so many, with an impact and voice still felt to this day, but also a staunch supporter of the Austin Film Festival and a dear personal friend.”

Unparalleled Career

Kennedy, one of the most respected and successful producers in the film industry, has produced and executive produced over 70 feature films which have collectively garnered 120 Academy Award nominations and 25 wins. Some of her iconic credits include Jurassic Park, E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, The Sixth Sense, the Back to the Future trilogy, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the highest-grossing domestic feature of all time, among others.

Festival Highlights

The 2024 Austin Film Festival’s Writers Conference will present over 150 panels on the art, craft, and business of storytelling. It will feature a slate of prominent industry professionals working in film, television, and new media. On her part, Kennedy will take this opportunity to speak about her illustrious career, her journey through it, and share insights into the industry.

About Austin Film Festival & Writers Conference

Now in its 31st year, the Austin Film Festival & Writers Conference is a non-profit organization that fosters the art, craft, and business sphere of writers and filmmakers. It aims to celebrate and acknowledge their contributions to the fields of film, television, theater, and new media. This platform champions the work of both established and aspiring storytellers by offering unique cultural events and services.