HOLLYWOOD, CA, October 5, 2006 -- The 10th Annual Hollywood Film Festival(R) and Hollywood Awards®, co-chaired by Paula Wagner and presented by STARZ, will honor THE FILM FOUNDATION with its "Hollywood Film Preservation Award" and Academy Award winner BEN AFFLECK with its "Hollywood Supporting Actor of the Year Award." The awards will be bestowed as part of the Hollywood Awards Gala Ceremony on Monday evening, October 23, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills.

THE FILM FOUNDATION, the most prominent film preservation organization in the United States, was born out of the recognized need for a single influential entity to take the lead in advocating and supporting the preservation of our nation's cinematic heritage. The nonprofit group was founded in 1990 by Martin Scorsese and a distinguished group of fellow filmmakers -- Woody Allen, Robert Altman, Francis Ford Coppola, Clint Eastwood, Stanley Kubrick, George Lucas, Sydney Pollack, Robert Redford, and Steven Spielberg -- all dedicated to protecting motion pictures and the rights of the artists who create them, educating the public about the importance of film preservation, and raising the necessary funds to save the endangered cinematic treasures of the 20th century. The Film Foundation achieves these goals through innovative educational programs, national campaigns, and public events.

Over the past 16 years, through partnerships with the nation's leading film archives -- the Academy Film Archive in Los Angeles, the George Eastman House in Rochester, New York, the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, and the UCLA Film and Television Archive in Los Angeles -- the Film Foundation has funded the "hands-on" preservation and restoration work of more than 450 films that were facing an imminent risk of being lost. In addition, the Film Foundation works with the National Center for Film and Video Preservation at the American Film Institute, and supports the National Film Preservation Foundation, which represents over 100 regional archives, libraries and historical societies. The films saved include a broad and exciting range of titles, including Hollywood features, silent films, newsreel footage, and documentaries, as well as independently produced and avant-garde works whose survival is equally as vital, but which would be lost without specialized support. The cultural institutions supported by the Film Foundation provide U.S. and international communities with essential access to the immeasurable wealth of our cinematic heritage.

In recognition of the importance of exposing future generations to classic cinema, the Film Foundation created The Story of Movies project, the first-ever integrated interdisciplinary curriculum for the study of the cultural, artistic, and historical significance of film. This program is available free of charge to middle schools across the country, with a goal of teaching young people how to understand and interpret the language of film and visual images. Each teaching unit includes DVDs, a teacher's guide, and a student activities booklet, providing an in-depth exploration of classic films such as Robert Mulligan's "To Kill a Mockingbird" (1962), Frank Capra's "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" (1939), and Robert Wise's "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (1951).

BEN AFFLECK was honored for his portrayal of George Reeves in "Hollywoodland" with the Best Actor award at the 2006 Venice International Film Festival. From Focus Features, "Hollywoodland" was directed by Allen Coulter and also stars Adrien Brody, Diane Lane, and Bob Hoskins.

Ben Affleck co-wrote "Good Will Hunting" with Matt Damon, and the screenplay brought him an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Humanitas Prize. The two also starred in director Gus Van Sant's acclaimed film, which received a number of honors, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture.

His newest screenplay is "Gone, Baby, Gone," which he adapted with Aaron Stockard from Dennis Lehane's novel of the same name. Mr. Affleck is also the director of the film version, which will be released in 2007. The film stars Casey Affleck, Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris, and Michelle Monaghan.

His other films as an actor include the upcoming "Smokin' Aces," written and directed by Joe Carnahan; Roger Michell's "Changing Lanes"; Ben Younger's "Boiler Room"; John Madden's Academy Award-winning "Shakespeare in Love"; Richard Linklater's "Dazed and Confused"; Mike Binder's "Man About Town"; Mark Steven Johnson's "Daredevil"; Phil Alden Robinson's "The Sum of All Fears"; John Woo's "Paycheck"; Michael Bay's "Armageddon" and "Pearl Harbor"; Mark Pellington's "Going All the Way"; several movies for writer/director Kevin Smith, including "Chasing Amy" and "Dogma"; and Bronwen Hughes's "Forces of Nature", which was based on a story idea by "Hollywoodland" producer Glenn Williamson.

In 2000, Mr. Affleck partnered with Matt Damon, Chris Moore, and Sean Bailey to form LivePlanet, Inc. Their first endeavor was the nonfiction television show "Project Greenlight," which drew critical, audience, and industry attention for its behind-the-scenes look at the challenges faced by first-time filmmakers. All three series of the program have been nominated for Emmy Awards.

Other industry professionals who will be honored for their achievements at the Gala Awards Ceremony are Sony Pictures Classics' co-Presidents Michael Barker and Tom Bernard who will receive the "Hollywood Leadership Award," Academy Award-winning actor Robin Williams who will be honored with the "Hollywood Career Achievement Award," Oscar®-winning director Oliver Stone who will receive the "Hollywood Director of the Year Award," producer Mike Medavoy who will be honored with the "Hollywood Producer of the Year Award," actor Forest Whitaker who will receive the "Hollywood Actor of the Year Award," actress Penelope Cruz who will receive the "Hollywood Actress of the Year Award," actress Sandra Bullock who will be honored with the "Hollywood Supporting Actress of the Year Award," actor Derek Luke who will receive the "Hollywood Breakthrough Actor of the Year Award," actress Lindsay Lohan who will be honored with the "Hollywood Breakthrough Actress of the Year Award," director Ryan Murphy who will receive the "Hollywood Breakthrough Director of the Year Award," Academy Award-winning screenwriter Eric Roth who will be honored with the "Hollywood Screenwriter of the Year Award," the cast of "Bobby" (Harry Belafonte, Joy Bryant, Nick Cannon, Emilio Estevez, Laurence Fishburne, Brian Geraghty, Heather Graham, Anthony Hopkins, Helen Hunt, Joshua Jackson, David Krumholtz, Ashton Kutcher, Shia LaBeouf, Lindsay Lohan, William H. Macy, Svetlana Metkina, Demi Moore, Freddy Rodriguez, Martin Sheen, Christian Slater, Sharon Stone, Jacob Vargas, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and Elijah Wood) who will receive the "Hollywood Ensemble Acting of the Year Award," Oscar®-winning cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond who will be honored with the "Hollywood Cinematographer of the Year Award," Academy Award-winning editor Joel Cox who will receive the "Hollywood Editor of the Year Award," Academy Award-winning composer Gustavo Santaolalla who will get the "Hollywood Composer of the Year Award," two-time Oscar®-winning production designer John Myhre who will receive the "Hollywood Production Designer of the Year Award," costume designer Penny Rose who will be honored with the "Hollywood Costume Designer of the Year Award," make-up artist Kris Evans who will receive the "Hollywood Make-Up of the Year Award," visual effects supervisor John Knoll who will receive the "Hollywood Visual Effects of the Year Award," Disney/Pixar's "Cars," directed by John Lasseter, which will be honored with the "Hollywood Animation of the Year Award," and casting director Francine Maisler who will be honored with the "Hollywood Casting Director of the Year Award."

The 2006 Annual Hollywood Film Festival will take place from October 18 to 23. The festival's screenings take place at ArcLight Theatres in Hollywood. Its Hollywood Awards Gala Ceremony will be held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, Monday, October 23.