Pamela Anderson and Gia Coppola will receive the Pioneer Award presented by Variety, which recognizes trailblazers in front of and behind the camera. The award will be presented as part of a Q&A following The Last Showgirl on Friday, December 6. Previous recipients of the award include Mark Duplass, Ted Hope, Shaka King, Aaron Paul, and Danny Strong.
Anderson is well known for her role on the blockbuster television series Baywatch, as well as her bestselling memoir, Love, Pamela, and her Emmy-nominated Netflix documentary, Pamela, a Love Story. For her role in The Last Showgirl, Anderson received the Golden Eye Award at the Zurich Film Festival and was nominated for Outstanding Lead Performance by the Gotham Awards. Coppola, acclaimed for her directorial debut Palo Alto and the visionary Mainstream, brings her distinctive voice to The Last Showgirl, cementing her place as a leading creative force in the industry.
Porcelain War, which has received more than 40 honors and recognitions since winning the 2024 Sundance Grand Jury Prize for U.S. Documentary, including a finalist for the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award, will receive a special Impact Award for its stunning tribute to the resilience of the human spirit, embodying the enduring hope and passion of ordinary people living through extraordinary circumstances.
The Winter Screening Series will feature an exciting array of films. On Thursday, December 5, the Series kicks off with an Evening with The New Yorker Shorts showcasing award-winning live-action and documentary shorts that offer fresh perspectives on global issues by emerging and renowned filmmakers. The event is in partnership with Boise State Public Radio and George Prentice, who will moderate a conversation with Paul Moakley executive producer of video at The New Yorker. Now in its 17th year, The New Yorker documentary series has captured an impressive 17 seventeen Oscar nominations including three nominations over the past two years for the Dwayne Wade-EP’d The Barber of Little Rock, Haulout, and Stranger at the Gate. Highlights include Denial, which Paul Moakley co-directs with Daniel Lombroso, Bogotá Story, directed by Esteban Pedraza, Seat 31: Zooey Zephyr, directed by Kimberly Reed, and I’m Not a Robot, directed by Victoria Warmerdam.
On Friday, December 6, the Series will begin with the opening night film screening of the Roadside Attractions film The Last Showgirl. Anderson stars in the role of a lifetime as a seasoned showgirl who must plan for her future when her show abruptly closes after a 30-year run. Anderson and Coppola will participate in a Q&A following the screening.
On Saturday, December 7, an afternoon screening of the acclaimed documentary Porcelain War features Ukrainian artists who stay behind under roaring fighting jets and defiantly find beauty amid destruction. Armed with art, cameras, and, for the first time in their lives, guns, they show that while it’s easy to frighten people, it’s harder to destroy their passion for living. The film is co-directed by Brendan Bellomo and Slava Leontye. Producer Paula DuPre’ Pesmen will be on hand for a post-screening Q&A and accept the Impact Award.
"…This Winter Screening Series line-up represents a celebration of bold storytelling and cinematic excellence"
