Acclaimed filmmaker Gus Van Sant will be honored with a Precious Gem Award at Miami Dade College’s Miami Film Festival GEMS, the festival announced Tuesday.
The award will be presented following a screening of his latest film, “Dead Man’s Wire,” during a special live recording of The Hollywood Reporter’s “Awards Chatter” podcast.
The event is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 3 at 7:00 p.m. at the Cosford Cinema on the campus of the University of Miami in Coral Gables.
The live podcast recording will be moderated by Scott Feinberg, Executive Editor of Awards for The Hollywood Reporter, offering the festival audience an intimate look into the director’s career.
“We are honored to present Gus Van Sant with our prestigious Precious Gem Award, celebrating a career that has shaped modern cinema with films like ‘Good Will Hunting,’ ‘To Die For’ and ‘Milk’,” said Lauren Cohen, Miami Film Festival Programming Director.
"We’re especially excited to partner with The Hollywood Reporter to host a live Awards Chatter conversation with Scott Feinberg and Gus, offering audiences a rare and intimate look into the vision of one of our most iconic filmmakers," she added.
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The Precious Gem Award is the festival's signature honor, reserved for “one-of-a-kind artists whose contributions to cinema are lasting and unforgettable.”
Van Sant joins previously announced honorees Ethan Hawke (Variety Virtuoso Award) and Dylan O’Brien (Vanguard Award).
Past recipients of the Precious Gem Award include Pedro Almodóvar, Penelope Cruz, Isabelle Huppert, and Sheryl Lee Ralph.
New film screening, lineup details
Van Sant's newest work, “Dead Man’s Wire,” is the feature screenwriting debut of Austin Kolodney and "recreates the strange, fascinating true story of the 1977 kidnapping that made aspiring Indianapolis entrepreneur Tony Kiritsis into an eccentric outlaw folk hero."
The film features a captivating cast including Bill Skarsgård, Dacre Montgomery, Colman Domingo, and Al Pacino.
Van Sant's filmography includes "Festival Official Selections" such as “Drugstore Cowboy,” “My Own Private Idaho,” “Elephant,” and the Academy Award-nominated “Good Will Hunting.”
Miami Film Festival GEMS runs from Oct. 29-Nov. 5. The complete lineup and schedule for the 2025 GEMS festival is set to be announced on Wednesday, Oct. 1.
Learn more at www.miamifilmfestival.com.
