Kathleen Kennedy to Receive 2024 Polly Platt Award for Producing at the Austin Film Festival

 Written by John Edward Betancourt

Photo of Kathleen Kennedy Courtesy of Matthew Brookes/Lucasfilm. (C) Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.

It is definitely safe to say, that producers in Hollywood, sometimes have a bad rap. For we’ve heard countless stories about ones that demand so much and interfere with visions that help to foster a rough ride for filmmakers and talent. But let’s be honest, that isn’t always the norm in the industry. Because for every producer that takes that route, there are countless more than are nurturing and fostering and will in fact, go the extra mile to ensure that a vision is preserved and funded and one particular name that meets that criterion is Kathleen Kennedy.

Because over the course of her illustrious career, she’s helped to bring some of Hollywood’s most iconic stories to life and made sure that franchises that people love, continue along, to become truly generational in nature. Which is why it should come as no surprise that the Austin Film Festival is going to honor her later this year with the Polly Platt Award. To properly recognize her tireless efforts to provide the world with amazing stories that captivate, and to properly do this news justice, here are all the details on this prestigious honor, courtesy of the Austin Film Festival.

‘AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL (AFF) announced today the Polly Platt Award for Producing is to be given to iconic producer Kathleen Kennedy, during the 2024 Writers Conference happening October 24 – 27, 2024. Established in 2019, this honor is named after industry pioneer Polly Platt, an early and longtime supporter of AFF. The award is given annually to producers with a keen sense of story, who have a history of fostering new talent. Previous recipients include Lauren Shuler Donner (2023), Dede Gardner (2022), Stephanie Allain (2021), and Sarah Green (2019).

On receiving this honor, Kennedy states,  
“I am deeply honored to receive the Austin Film Festival's Polly Platt Award for Producing. Polly was not only an incredible producer and mentor to so many, with an impact and voice still felt to this day, but also a staunch supporter of the Austin Film Festival and a dear personal friend. Polly attended every year, right up until her passing, and I look forward to celebrating her legacy in October.” 

Kennedy, previously a recipient of the Academy’s prestigious 2018 Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, the Producers Guild of America Milestone Award, and an eight-time Academy Award®-nominee, is one of the most successful and respected producers in the film industry today. As President of Lucasfilm, she oversees the company’s three divisions: Lucasfilm, Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound. Kennedy was the producer of Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), the highest grossing domestic feature of all time, as well as subsequent Star Wars features Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019). Kennedy has recently executive produced the Emmy Award-winning Mandalorian series (2019-present) that launched the Disney+ platform as well as The Book of Boba Fett (2021), Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022), Andor (2022), Ahsoka (2023) and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023).

Kennedy has produced or executive produced more than 70 feature films, which have collectively garnered 120 Academy Award nominations and 25 wins. Among her credits: Jurassic Park, E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, The Sixth Sense, the Back to the Future trilogy, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Gremlins, The Goonies, Poltergeist, Empire of the Sun, Lincoln, War Horse, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Schindler’s List, The Color Purple, and The Adventures of Tintin. Kennedy has produced the films of directors such as Steven Spielberg, David Fincher, Martin Scorsese, Clint Eastwood, Robert Zemeckis, JJ Abrams, Julian Schnabel, Marjane Satrapi, M. Night Shyamalan, Frank Oz, Peter Bogdanovich, and Richard Donner. Kennedy recently received the Fellowship Award, the highest honor that the British Academy of Film and Television Arts can bestow. She is also the recipient of the distinguished CBE award (Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) and was elected Chair of the AFI Board of Trustees.

Aside from her executive and producer roles, she was one of the founding Council Members of Hollywood Commission to Eliminate Sexual Harassment and Advance Equality and is currently on the board of the LA Promise Fund, Library of America, and USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. Prior to joining Lucasfilm in 2012, Kennedy headed The Kennedy/Marshall Company, which she founded in 1992 with director/producer Frank Marshall. In 1981 she co-founded the phenomenally successful Amblin Entertainment with Marshall and Steven Spielberg.

Austin Film Festival’s Writers Conference, happening October 24 – 27, 2024, will again present over 150 panels on the art, craft, and business of storytelling, featuring a slate of prominent industry professionals working in film, television, and new media.

ABOUT AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL & WRITERS CONFERENCE Entering its thirty-first year, Austin Film Festival & Writers Conference is a non-profit organization dedicated to furthering the art, craft and business of writers and filmmakers and recognizing their contributions to film, television, theater, and new media. AFF champions the work of aspiring and established storytellers by providing unique cultural events and services, enhancing public awareness and participation, and encouraging dynamic and long-lasting community partnerships. This project is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of The City of Austin Economic Development Department and Texas Commission on the Arts. The 31st Annual Austin Film Festival will take place October 24 – 31, 2024. All attendees and events are based on permitting schedules and are subject to change and/or cancellation without notice. Badges and passes are available for purchase online at www.austinfilmfestival.com or by phone at 1-800-310-FEST.

ABOUT POLLY PLATT AWARD FOR PRODUCING
Introduced in 2019, the Polly Platt Award is given to producers with a keen sense of story and who have a history of fostering new talent. Named after the legendary Polly Platt who was instrumental in the early years of Austin Film Festival and was an ardent champion of writers. Past award recipients include Lauren Shuler Donner (2023), Dede Garner (2022), Stephanie Allain (2021), and Sarah Green (2019).’

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