The Burbank City Council has declared that Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023, will be “Tim Burton Day” in recognition of the Batman, Edward Scissorhands and Beetlejuice filmmaker, who was born and raised in the city within Los Angeles County. Tim Burton will be in attendance for the annual Awards Gala of the Burbank International Film Festival (BIFF), which is celebrating its 15-year anniversary. The Burbank Marriott Convention Center will host the event.
Burton’s relationship with the film festival, which takes place in the city known as ‘The Media Capital of the Word’, began a year ago, when he agreed to lend his name to a festival award that will annually recognize a local filmmaker who grew up or currently lives in Burbank and who shows unique vision and style. Director Alessandro Gentile became the first recipient of the award in 2022 for his film entitled ‘Lodo’. The ‘Tim Burton Visionary Award’ will be presented again this year.
“As a Burbank native myself I am pleased to be part of this year’s festival, with this new Visionary Award going to a local Burbank filmmaker who shows unique imagination and creativity,” said Burton, whose most recent project was the Netflix comedy series Wednesday, on which he served as executive producer and director (for four of its eight-episode first season), and for which he is Emmy-nominated for best comedy series and best directing for a comedy series.
BIFF President Kurt Patino and BIFF Advisory Board Member Tony Muscio are huge admirers of Burton’s work and thought it was the perfect time to recognize this iconic filmmaker. Patino explains why, “Tim Burton’s artistry is such an inspiration, and the team at BIFF is thrilled to have collaborated with the Burbank City Council to give Tim this deserving recognition, “Tim Burton Day,” and celebrate his amazing contributions to the entertainment industry, his Burbank roots and the wonderful impressions he’s made in the hearts of audiences.”
Awards Gala tickets here.
BIFF’s schedule of films can be found here: https://www.burbankfilmfest.org/official-2023-selections-showings
