On Thursday, the Bay Area’s SFFILM announced honorees for its annual SFFILM Awards Night fundraising event: Oscar-winning actor and “One Battle After Another Star” Benicio Del Toro, presented by co-star Regina Hall; “Sinners” star Wunmi Mosaku, presented by co-star Delroy Lindo; “The Chronology of Water” director Kristen Stewart, presented by her lead star Imogen Poots; and “Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere” director Scott Cooper.
Per the nonprofit education organization SFFILM, the event, set for Monday, December 8, “honors exemplary achievement in film craft and is a fundraiser with proceeds from the event supporting SFFILM’s enduring mission to discover, nurture, and showcase the next generation of film artists.” The event takes place at San Francisco’s Gateway Pavilion at Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture.
Anne Lai, SFFILM director, said in a press statement, “The work of our honorees will resonate for years to come, and central to our mission at SFFILM is nurturing the next generation of artists and audiences. Along with our Director of Programming Jessie Fairbanks, we couldn’t be more thrilled to honor such notable talents as Scott, Benicio, Wunmi, and Kristen for their stellar contributions to film this year.”
The awards are as follows:
Irving M. Levin Award for Film Direction: Scott Cooper
Past recipients include Denis Villeneuve (2024), Greta Gerwig (2023), Ryan Coogler (2022), Jane Campion (2021), Chloé Zhao (2020), Marielle Heller (2019), Steve McQueen (2018), Kathryn Bigelow (2017), Mira Nair (2016), Guillermo del Toro (2015), Richard Linklater (2014), Philip Kaufman (2013), Kenneth Branagh (2012), Oliver Stone (2011), Walter Salles (2010), Francis Ford Coppola (2009), Mike Leigh (2008), Spike Lee (2007), and Werner Herzog (2006), and more.
Maria Manetti Shrem Award for Acting: Benicio Del Toro
Past recipients include Demi Moore (2024), Nicolas Cage (2023), Margot Robbie (2022), Oscar Isaac (2021), Glenn Close (2020), Adam Driver (2019), Amy Adams (2018), Kate Winslet (2017), Ellen Burstyn (2016), Richard Gere (2015), Jeremy Irons (2014), Harrison Ford (2013), Judy Davis (2012), Terence Stamp (2011), Robert Duvall (2010), and Robin Williams (2007), among others.
George Gund III Award for Virtuosity: Wunmi Mosaku
Past honorees celebrated for their singular and virtuous work are director Malcolm Washington (“The Piano Lesson,” 2024), writer/director Cord Jefferson (“American Fiction,” 2023), and actor Stephanie Hsu (“Everything Everywhere All At Once,” 2022).
Nion McEvoy & Leslie Berriman Award for Storytelling: Kristen Stewart
Past recipients include Jason Reitman (2024), Roger Ross Williams (2023), Sarah Polley (2022), Maggie Gyllenhaal (2021), Aaron Sorkin (2020), Lulu Wang (2019), Boots Riley (2018), Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani (2017), Tom McCarthy (2016), Paul Schrader (2015), Stephen Gaghan (2014), Eric Roth (2013), David Webb Peoples (2012), Frank Pierson (2011), and James Schamus (2010), among others.