Friday, February 2----Oscar-winning director Clint Eastwood (who has his fifth Oscar nomination as Best Director this year for LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA) will be the inaugural recipient of the Motion Picture Association of America's Jack Valenti Humanitarian Award at a gala ceremony to be held in Los Angeles on Tuesday, February 6th.

The award, to be presented annually to an individual in the motion picture industry whose work has reached out positively and respectfully to all countries, creeds and cultures, will be presented at a private dinner capping off a daylong, first-of-its-kind industry symposium called the Business of Show Business. The award is named after the longtime chief of the MPAA, Jack Valenti, who retired in 2004.

"The MPAA is thrilled to recognize as its inaugural recipient Clint Eastwood, who for decades has exemplified the decency and goodness of spirit in his moviemaking," MPAA Chairman Dan Glickman said in a prepared statement. "His two acclaimed movies about World War II's infamous battle at Iwo Jima present a remarkable work of looking at both sides of a moment in history and providing a commentary on its impact in the lives of those who experienced it."

Sandy Mandelberger
Awards Watch Editor