A Conversation With Lawrence Kasdan. 7 p.m. May 22. $36; VIP reception, $200 or $350/pair. Rich Auditorium, Woodruff Arts Center, 1280 Peachtree St., Atlanta. 678-701-6104, ajff.org.
J.J. Abrams, the man who saved the "Star Wars" series (at least in some people's opinions) and one of the most influential figures in movies today, says writing "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" with film veteran Lawrence Kasdan was an eye-opener.
“It was a little like taking an extended master class,” he told Wired magazine.
Kasdan, who, through his own excellent work has taught many filmmakers the basics, comes to Atlanta Sunday to receive the first Icon Award given by the folks behind the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. The ceremony will take place at Woodruff Arts Center, where Kasdan will speak about his career and a video homage will be screened featuring praise from such stars as Geena Davis, Kevin Kline and Steve Martin.
The event is intended to raise the profile of the film festival, of course, but also to acknowledge a director-writer-producer who is one of the unsung greats.
“Not enough people today know how incredibly successful and creative he has been,” said Matthew Bernstein, Emory University chair of film and media studies, who helped organize the ceremony and conducted some of the interviews for the video tribute. “It’s great to do this Icon Award in order to get him that recognition.”
Kasdan will be interviewed onstage by Cathy Fox, an arts writer and co-founder of the cultural news website ArtsATL. Fox became friends with Kasdan and his wife Meg when the three were students at the University of Michigan. She helped arrange Kasdan’s appearance in Atlanta.
Kasdan is that unusual director and writer who is comfortable with a blockbuster action film, but also adept at character studies and ensemble dramas.
He was the writer on some of the highest-grossing movies of all time, including “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi,” but also was the creator of such seminal character dramas as “The Big Chill” and “Grand Canyon.”
(You can test your Lawrence Kasdan knowledge at ajff.org.)
As Bernstein pointed out, Kasdan harks back to such old-school filmmakers as Howard Hawks, who could work in any form.
“He’s someone who embraces genre conventions,” Bernstein said. “If it’s going to be an action adventure movie, great, he’s all in.”
Yet Kasdan’s ear for dialogue and his knack at creating character are at the heart of his success, both in the blockbusters and in the more introspective fare, such as “Continental Divide,” Bernstein said.
“The Big Chill,” with its seven-person ensemble, was the big surprise of 1983. The movie was a box office smash, earned three Academy Award nominations and became a touchstone for the generation struggling to navigate between the earnest, politically-active ’60s and the go-go, self-involved ’80s.
It was influenced by Kasdan’s experiences at Michigan and included cameos from some of his college friends, including Fox.
Presented in partnership with ArtsATL, the Icon Award for Contributions to the Cinematic Arts will be awarded annually to honor "exemplary artists who have upheld the tradition of artistic excellence in film, informed directly or indirectly by a Jewish subject or sensibility, and who inspire pre-eminence in filmmaking worldwide."
The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival is the largest film festival in Atlanta and one of the largest Jewish film festivals in the country. The festival was held this year Jan. 26-Feb. 17.
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