Actor-director James Franco will be
honored for his gay rights advocacy at the 15th annual
Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (MGLFF).
Franco will accept the HBO Latin
America Ally Award on Saturday, April 27 at the Olympia Theater at
Gusman Center.
“We are thrilled to host an actor of
James Franco's caliber at the Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival,”
Franc Castro, executive director of the MGLFF, said in a statement.
“His multi-faceted talents coupled with his contributions to LGBT
film both in front of the camera and behind the scenes have helped
shine the spotlight on LGBT cinema and a filmmaker's right to free
expression.”
Franco and Travis Matthews collaborated
on Interior. Leather Bar, which recreates deleted gay sex
scenes from the 1980 film Cruising. The film will premiere at
MGLFF on Sunday, April 28th at the Colony Theater in Miami
Beach. Matthews will be in attendance at the screening and will
accept the HBO Latin America Vanguard Award for his innovation as a
filmmaker.
“At HBO Latin America, we are
committed and proud to support diversity and promote equality of
rights in the community, and it is with great honor that we are
presenting this year's awards to James Franco, Travis Mathews, David
W. Ross and Heather Winters for their great contributions to the LGBT
community,” said Miguel Angel Oliva, Vice President of Public
Relations and Corporate Affairs for HBO Latin America Group. “HBO
is recognized for including subjects that affect the LGBT community
and we have been constantly showcasing diversity in many of our
original programs, so this is just another step in reinforcing our
commitment.”
The Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival
opens on Friday, April 26 for 10 days.