Ann Roth to Receive Hamptons International Film Festival’s Golden Starfish Award

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Hamptons International Film Festival will honor Academy Award–winning costume designer Ann Roth as part of the festival’s 20th anniversary

During the 20th Hamptons International Film Festival, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will co-present a special evening honoring Roth’s career. Special guests will include Ann Roth, Nathan Lane and Mike Nichols, with CNN correspondent Alina Cho serving as host and moderator. The celebration will take place at Guild Hall in East Hampton on Saturday, October 6, where Ms. Roth will receive the Hamptons International Film Festival’s Golden Starfish Award for Lifetime Achievement in Costume Design. Richard Gere will also be honored with a Lifetime Achievement award at the festival this year.

With six decades in the film industry and more than 100 film credits to her name, the legendary costume designer has earned numerous accolades for her diverse career, including an Oscar for The English Patient (1996). Well-known for the depth of her creative vision and her rigorous attention to detail, Roth has designed costumes for a wide variety of genres and historical periods, with films as varied as The Day of the Locust (1975), Hair (1979), The World According to Garp (1982), The Birdcage (1996), The Hours (2002) and Julie & Julia (2009).

Roth is noted for her ability to collaborate with actors and directors in creating indelible characters, and has worked repeatedly with such artists as Mike Nichols, Stephen Daldry, Anthony Minghella, Meryl Streep, Jane Fonda, Robin Williams, Nicole Kidman and Daniel Day-Lewis. In addition to her four Academy Award nominations, Roth has received four Tony Award nominations for her costume designs for the stage (most recently, for her work on The Book of Mormon) and three Emmy Award nominations (including her work on the miniseries Mildred Pierce). This special event will be both a celebration of Roth’s career and an examination of her work and craft, featuring film clips and in-depth discussions of her creative process.

“Ann’s work has contributed to the creation of some of the most enduring and memorable characters that have graced the screen and stage,” said Academy CEO Dawn Hudson.  “She has our highest respect. Ann is beloved.”

“We are honored that in our festival’s anniversary year we are able to recognize and salute such an extraordinary woman as Ann Roth,” said Executive Director Karen Arikian. “She epitomizes the inspirational creative talent that we have endeavored to present to our audiences at HIFF for the last 20 years.”

“It is, of course, a tremendous honor to be recognized for one’s work by one’s peers” said Ann Roth. “I gratefully thank both the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences and the Hamptons International Film Festival and I commend the festival on its steely optimism in waiting until 2012 to bestow such an honor on me”.

In celebration of Ms. Roth’s career, a selection of her original sketches and renderings will be exhibited during the week of the festival. The exhibition will feature hand-drawn works created and curated by Ms. Roth.