Saturday, October 10, 2015

Laughlin International Film Festival (LIFF) To Present Lifetime Achievement Award to Lee Meriwether



PRESS-RELEASE

Laughlin International Film Festival (LIFF)
To Present Lifetime Achievement Award to Lee Meriwether

Laughlin NV,  October 1, 2015 --- The organizers of the 2015 Laughlin International Film Festival (LIFF), which is scheduled to be held October 15th – 18th in Laughlin, NV,  are very proud to announce that Lee Meriwether will be the recipient of the first LIFF Lifetime Achievement Award.

Meriwether, who began her acting career in the mid-1950s, has appeared in an impressive line-up of films and television series over the last 5 decades.  She is best remembered for her role as Catwoman in “Batman:  The Movie” (1966).  In 1973-1980 she was also a regular in the popular series   “Barnaby Jones” in which she played Betty Jones, the secretary and daughter-in-law of Barnaby Jones (played by the late Buddy Ebsen).   She is also remembered for her role as Lily Munster in the television series “The Munsters Today” (1988 - 1991), and her role as Ruth Martin in the popular soap opera “All My Children” (1996-2011).  She was nominated twice for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress (Drama) and once for an Emmy for Best Supporting Actress (Drama).  In addition to her illustrious film career, Meriwether also held the titles of “Miss San Francisco” (1954), “Miss California” (1954) and “Miss America” (1955). 

“We are so honored and proud to be able to give this award to Lee Meriwether”, said Mara Karsen, LIFF co-founder and Executive Director.  “We have wanted to establish a LIFF Lifetime Achievement Award for the past 3 years, and now we are finally seeing it become a reality.  Having someone as impressive at Lee Meriwether to receive this first award is very exciting, and will be the highlight of our LIFF Awards Ceremony this year”.  The LIFF Awards Ceremony will be held at the Tropicana Pavilion Theater on Saturday, October 17th, at 8:00 PM (preceded by social hour at 7:00 PM).  This gala event is open to the public and everyone is invited to join in the celebration.  Tickets can be purchased online ($20.00) at:  www.laughlinfilmfestival.com 

As a supporter of independent films,  Meriwether has recently lent her acting talents to the feature film  “Sunny in the Dark”,  directed by Courtney Ware of Texas,  which will be screening at the Laughlin Stadium 9 theaters as part of LIFF’s line-up of films.  “Sunny in the Dark” is an intriguing film about a  reclusive family therapist Jonah (played by Jay Huguley, “12 Years A Slave”) craving solitude, who moves into a new loft only to find that he is not the only person living in the same space.  A young homeless girl, Sunny (Hannah Ward) secretly lives in the crawlspace above him and watches his every move in order to survive.  In the film, Lee Meriwether plays the role of Jonah’s mother, Dorothy. 

“Sunny in the Dark” has recently won awards at the Northeast Film Festival in Teaneck, New Jersey for “Best Director” (Courtney Ware), “Best Actress” (Hannah Ward), Best Actor (Jay Huguley) and a nomination for Best Supporting Actress for Lee Meriwether.  A Best Actress award was also awarded to Hannah War at the Hill Country Film Festival in Fredericksburg, Texas.  The film will be shown at the Laughlin International Film Festival on Friday, October 16th, at 5:30 PM, with Meriwether, the films’ director Courtney Ware, and the films’ producer Meredith Burke in attendance.  Tickets will be available at the LIFF Sales table, located in front of the theaters, beginning on Thursday, October 15th, at 9:00 AM.  ($10.00, $8 for students/seniors).   There will also be an encore screening of the film on Sunday, October 18th, at 6:45 (without cast and crew in attendance). 

For more information about LIFF 2015, visit their website at www.laughlinfilmfestival.com , or contact the LIFF team e-mail at info@laughlinfilmfestival.com, or call LIFF at (702) 755 - 8391.

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For more information, contact:
Dagmar "Mara" Karsen
Executive Director / Co-founder
Laughlin International Film Festival (LIFF)

LIFF Phone:  (702) 755-8391
LIFF Fax:  (951) 824-7535   
Coverage by Eva Louis
                                                                                                       


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