Film, at its most loftiest, can be a unifying force on the planet and the people who work in it, both in front and behind the camera, can be its "global citizens". That is the spirit that has inspired the Martha's Vineyard International Film Festival (MVIFF) to bestow their first ever Global Citizen Award to actor/activist Matthew Modine.
The award, created by local sculptor Barney Zeitz, will be presented on Saturday, September 11, 2010, following the screening of THE TRIAL, a new film starring Modine that is to be released by Twentieth Century Fox later this year. The film's scriptwriter and producer Mark Freiburger will also attend the ceremonies. "We're honored that Matthew Modine has accepted our first-ever Global Citizen Award," MVIFF founder and director Richard Paradise said in a prepared statement. "He's not only had a distinguished artistic career, but has as much energy and passion into his human rights and environmental activism. He truly is a model Global Citizen."
An environmentalist for over three decades, Modine is the founder and force behind Bicycle For a Day (www.bicycleforaday.org) whose mission is to encourage bicycling as a major mode of transportation in America. Recently, he launched Do-One, an advertising campaign for the environmental movement that will help provide effortless, doable goals to reduce waste and consumption. He is also a founder of CardCarryingLiberal.net, a grassroots group that celebrates liberal ideas and values such as free speech, women's right to vote, trial by jury, child labor laws, and more.
Modine has had a celebrated film career for over three decades. His major film credits include
BIRDY, FULL METAL JACKET, MARRIED TO THE MOB and
SHORTCUTS. He has a recurring role on the Showtime comedy series
WEEDS and recently was seen on Broadway in a revival of
THE MIRACLE WORKER.
MVIFF Festival Director Richard Paradise plans to make the Award an annual event. It is one of the highlights of this year's Martha's Vineyard International Film Festival (http://mvfilmfest.com) set on the swanky Massachussets island resort where President Obama is currently vacationing with his family. The Festival, launched in 2006, will run from September 9 to 12, showcasing the best in international and independent cinema and hosting some of the most picturesque parties on the film festival circuit.
Sandy Mandelberger, Awards Watch Editor
