Editor

American actor Forest Whitaker, who received an Academy Award® for his performance in “The Last King of Scotland,” will be made an honorary citizen of Capri and will receive the “Peace Award” by Fiuggi at the “13th Capri, Hollywood – Honda International Film Festival which will take place here from December 27th through January 2nd. Festival producer Pascal Vicedomini and American producer Mark Canton, who serves as the Festival’s chairman for the second year, jointly made the announcement.

It was also announced that the Italian premiere of Dimension Films “Hurricane Season,” which is directed by Tim Story and stars Whitaker as a high school basketball coach in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, will be one of the top events of the Festival‘s Premiere Kimbo section.

The event marks Whitaker’s return to Capri, where in 2007 the Festival presented “The Last King of Scotland" for which he won the best actor Oscar for his mesmerizing performance as Uganda’s dictator Idi Amin. His wife Keisha and their three young girls, will be on hand for the presentation. Whitaker, who will soon direct and appear in a biopic on Louis Armstrong, is one of the world’s mostly sought-after actors. He is currently filming “My Own Love Song” directed by Olivier Dahan (‘La vie en rose’) in which he stars opposite Renee Zellweger and has just been offered the leading role by Sylvester Stallone in the action movie "The Expendables.”

“We are delighted to recognize this highly talented African-American actor and director, who has always been committed to social and humanitarian issues,” said Mr. Salvatore Ciuccio, the Councilor for Tourism of Capri. “Forest is a great actor and a dear friend of Capri’s and thus he is the perfect ambassador for our isle.” Mr. Ciuccio added that “on the night of the Oscars, Whitaker sent his best wishes to us and the honorary citizenship is a way of thanking him.”

"Forest Whitaker has appeared in many successful films, ranging from ‘The Color of Money” to ‘Platoon,’ and from ‘Bird’ to ‘Ghost Dog’,” said Fiuggi’s Mrs. Grazia Bottiglieri, in explaining the reasons for the Peace Award. “But in Capri, Fiuggi will celebrate him first and foremost for his humanity and consciousness for the problems of Africa, the motherland of his Nigerian ancestors,” she continues. “For me, Forest deserves great respect for the urbanity and civility with which he lives his privileged position of a cinema superstar.”

The “13th Capri, Hollywood – Honda International Film Festival” is produced by Pascal Vicedomini together with the Istituto Capri nel Mondo and Azienda Turismo di Capri, in association with Sangemini holding, Kimbo, Casinò di Venezia and with the support of the General Department of Cinema of the Ministry of Culture and of the Councillorship of Tourism and Cultural Assets of the Region Campania, the Chamber of Commerce of Capri and with the patronage of the Municipalities of Capri and Anacapri.