The Spotlight Award honors a creative artist who has significantly broadened the range of voices, perspectives and stories told through the cinematic arts. The award is designed to acknowledge the accomplishments of an artist who has succeeded in generating equity, inclusion and diversity in the film industry. Godfrey Peoples will be the inaugural recipient of the Spotlight Award.

Born in Fort Worth, Texas, Peoples studied theater at Baylor University then enrolled in the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Godfrey Peoples was named one of Filmmaker Magazine’s 25 New Faces of Independent Film in 2018. Her debut feature film Miss Juneteenth filmed in Fort Worth in 2019 with support from the Fort Worth Film Commission. The critically acclaimed film premiered at Sundance 2020 and was released on Juneteenth of that year. The National Board of Review awarded Godfrey Peoples with Best Directorial Debut of 2020. Godfrey Peoples’ short film Doretha’s Blues, which debuted at SXSW in 2021 also filmed in Fort Worth in 2019. Channing is developing a Miss Juneteenth TV Series under her first-look deal with UCP.

Photo courtesy of Variety Magazine

“We are thrilled to honor Channing Godfrey Peoples for her contributions to the film industry,” said Chad Mathews, director of the Lone Star Film Society. “Her powerful writing and directorial style is an inspiration for filmmakers.”

This year’s gala will also honor Texans Richard Linklater and Ethan Hawke with the inaugural Larry McMurtry Award. Linklater and Hawke will attend the gala in person and participate in a conversation led by Krys Boyd, host of KERA’s Think.

Tickets are now available for the Lone Star Film Festival Gala After Party. The After Party will be held at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth on Saturday, November 13, from 9:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Tickets are $75 and include beer, wine and entertainment from Disko Cowboy of Vinyl Ranch.

The Fort Worth Film Commission, a division of Visit Fort Worth, is partnering with Lone Star to produce the sold-out 2021 gala. All proceeds from the gala support the Lone Star Film Society’s Johnny Langdon Film Education Initiative.

For more information about the Lone Star Film Festival, visit www.lonestarfilmfestival.com. Approved media image here.

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