Hennessy
Toasts
Jane Fonda's 2015 SBIFF Kirk Douglas Award
Two-time
Oscar winning actress Jane Fonda
was honored by the Santa Barbara International Film Festival
with the 10th Annual Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film
this weekend at the Bacara Resort and Spa in Santa Barbara.
Former recipients of the Kirk Douglas Award
include luminaries such as Jessica Lange, Forest Whitaker, Robert
De Niro, Michael Douglas and Harrison Ford.
Jane with SBIFF Kirk Douglas Award
The
evening included a special after dinner toast to Fonda. Hennessy's
Paradis Imperial cognac was distributed for a toast. The designer
bottle with her award information on it was a gift to her and
event attendees all enjoyed the taste and the toast.
Jane
Fonda began her acceptance speech by generously recognizing
the programs that benefit the annual fundraising dinner Gala
which include Mike's Field Trip to the Movies, the 10-10-10
Mentorship program and competitions, the Film Studios Program,
Apple Box Family Films and a new Film Camp initiative to be
launched this summer.
Hennessy's Paradis Imperial Cognac
She
recalled formerly running a local performing arts camp herself
for underprivileged children, and said It was there she discovered
the impact art can have on youth, when one of the camp children
confessed she had never met people who think about the future.
"When you're poor or not loved, you see no future,"
said Fonda. She also mentioned that the camp was powered by
alternative energies. "This was the end of the 70s,"
she boasted. "So don't let anyone tell you we don't have
the technology."
Following
a montage of her films, Fonda admitted to having some difficulty
watching her career fly by in a series of clips. "I'm 78
and I always think 'if I could just go back and do this over,
I think I could do it better.'" When asked who her greatest
mentor was she replied "really, my greatest mentor was
Katherine Hepburn, who helped me so much during the film "On
Golden Pond." She also shared how important it is to her
to work with actresses coming up, and that she values the great
professional and personal friendships she has with women in
the industry like Elizabeth Banks and Diane Lane.
Elizabeth Banks, Jane Fonda and Diane Lane
Elizabeth
Banks and Diane Lane presented tributes to Fonda throughout
the evening. Lane quoted Edith Wharton and read from a handful
of note cards as she tried to explain what it is about Fonda
that is so appealing on screen that affects viewers so powerfully.
"You're just elevated to a higher form of comprehension
when you watch her work," said Lane.
As
a woman in my seventies who has always been personally inspired
by the healthy, positive and proactive lifestyle Jane has personified
over the years, as well as the great respect I have for her
amazing talent as an actress, I was thrilled Jane Fonda would
be this year's recipient of the SBIFF Kirk Douglas Award. I
see her as epitomizing the saying 'it ain't over till it's over',
and I welcomed the opportunity to speak with her on the red
carpet and congratulate her personally.
The
Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film has been awarded since
2006 to a lifelong contributor to cinema through their work
in front of and behind the camera, or both. Kirk Douglas, who
is celebrating his 99th birthday and currently sporting a long
gray ponytail, was unable to attend the ceremony, but sent his
heart warming congratulations via a per-taped message.
The
31st annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival is scheduled
to run Feb. 3 - 13, 2016. For informations visit: www.sbiff.org.
By Bonnie Carroll
About Bonnie Carroll
Bonnie Carroll has been a food/travel/lifestyle writer since
1983. She is the founder & publisher of Bonnie Carroll's
Life Bites News - www.lifebitesnews.com,
does travel and food reporting on KZSB1290 radio, and contributes
to a variety of national and international travel/lifestyle
publications. Her first children's book C.C. Charles was published
in 2002 and she is currently working on a second book. Contact
her at Contact her at writebc@aol.com.