For Immediate Release
Tarzana, CA – The Tarzana International Film Festival (TZIFF) will once again take place at the beautiful Regal Cinemas at The Sherman Oaks Galleria, August 23rd-25th.
2024 marks the third year of the festival with film categories including Action/Adventure, Films by Women, Faith-Based films, LGBTQ+, Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror, Comedy, Documentaries, Foreign films, Screenplays, and more.
The city of Tarzana is named after the most successful and prolific novelist, Edgar Rice Burroughs (ERB) who owned a 550-acre ranch in the San Fernando Valley and created the classic and beloved novels and comic books for the character Tarzan®. Other classic (ERB) characters include John Carter® and and Dejah Thoris®, Princess of Mars®.
In addition to the numerous Tarzan films and 2012’s John Carter, Burroughs’ fantastical science fiction novels At The Earth’s Core™, The Land That Time Forgot®, and The People That Time Forgot™ were all made into popular motion pictures. Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. continues that tradition with several projects in development at Sony/Columbia Pictures and other major studios and production companies.
In 2023, the Tarzana International Film Festival Director and President, Jeff Rector, created the Edgar Rice Burroughs Legacy Award to honor industry screenwriters who encompass the literary talent and spirit of the greatest and most successful writer of all time, Edgar Rice Burroughs. For the second year, TZIFF has partnered with Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. to present this award at the annual black-tie dinner and Awards Gala at the beautiful Braemar Country Club in the hills overlooking the San Fernando Valley.
This years Legacy Award is being presented to Evan Spiliotopoulos, best known for writing the live-action version of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast starring Kristen Stewart, The Huntsmen: Winter’s War starring Chris Hemsworth, and the action/adventure Hercules starring Dwayne Johnson. Since then, Spiliotopoulos moved on to write and direct his first feature film, The Unholy. Most recently, Spiliotopoulos wrote the successful supernatural thriller The Pope’s Exorcist starring Academy Award winner Russel Crowe, with a sequel currently in production.
Spiliotopoulos says, “Edgar Rice Burroughs is the reigning King of adventure. Through works like ‘Tarzan’ and ‘John Carter of Mars,’ he transported readers to distant realms and inspired countless writers like myself to unleash our own imaginations. I am deeply honored and humbled to be receiving the Edgar Rice Burroughs Legacy award this year.” Festival Founder Lori Morrissey said, “We are really pleased and excited to be presenting and honoring Evan, an amazing screenwriter and visionary in his own right!”
Media/Talent Requests Contact: Jeff Rector – milleniumconcepts@gmail.com
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More exciting TZIFF news will be coming soon when the final films are selected and the festival screening schedule is finalized. For more information, go to www.TZIFF.org
The Tarzana International Film Festival is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
