Alex Wolff, Dominique Fishback to Receive San Diego Festival Honors

By Tim Gray

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Alex Wolff and Dominique Fishback will be honored at the San Diego Intl. Film Festival, while gala presentations will include Yorgos Lanthimos’ “The Favourite” and Joel Edgerton’s “Boy Erased.”

The fest, produced by the San Diego Film Foundation, runs Oct. 10-14, and will include 115 films in various sections. The festival is in its 17th year.

The seven gala features, all making their Southern California premiere, are “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” (director, Marielle Heller); “Everybody Knows” (Asghar Farhadi); “Widows” (); “Wildlife” (Paul Dano); and “The Hate U Give” (George Tilman Jr.); “The Favourite;” and “Boy Erased.”

Wolff is the recipient of the Auteur Award. Aside from this year’s horror hit “Hereditary,” Wolff appears in the Polly Draper-directed “Stella’s Last Weekend,” which will screen in the Spotlight section at the festival. Fishback, from the gala presentation “The Hate U Give,” will be given the Rising Star Award. Both honors will be presented at the Night of the Stars Tribute at the Pendry San Diego.

Tonya Mantooth, CEO and artistic director of the festival, said, “We couldn’t be more excited to honor Alex and Dominique for their roles as emerging talent in the industry. These awards are merely an indication of all the fine work they have already done, and will continue to do in the future.”

The seven films in the spotlight competition include “Tiger” (director, Alister Grierson) and “Mosul” (Daniel P. Gabriel), both making their world premiere; “Little Woods” (Nia DaCosta); “Soufra” (Thomas Morgan); “Under the Eiffel Tower” (Archie Borders); and “Prospect” (Chris Caldwell) in their California premieres; and “Stella’s Last Weekend,” in its west coast premiere.

Among the many countries repped in the festival are Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Kenya, Nepal, New Zealand, Taiwan, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. Screenings will be held in the Balboa Theater and Regal Theaters in Downtown San Diego, and ArcLight Cinemas in La Jolla.

The complete list of titles will soon be available at sdfilmfest.com