The 2019 Inspiration Award will be presented to producer Gale Anne Hurd at the live ceremony by legendary filmmaker Roger Corman. The 2019 Stephanie Rothman Fellowship winner will be announced.

Etheria’s 2019 Inspiration Award recipient, prolific, award-winning producer Gale Anne Hurd, says “I’m absolutely thrilled to receive the Inspiration Award from the Etheria Film Festival.  Growing up as a huge genre fan, I was told over and over that science fiction, fantasy and horror simply wasn’t meant for girls. Luckily I had Roger Corman as my mentor, and he encouraged me to dream big, genre dreams! Those naysayers were dead wrong, but sadly that misconception continues to this day.  With women directors accounting for only 4% of the 2018 Top 100 Box Office releases, it’s clear that women aren’t being hired to direct genre films.  Etheria showcases the work of women directors who I’m confident will be the future Steven Spielbergs, Jordan Peeles, Kathryn Bigelows and Guillermo Del Toros.”

After graduating from Stanford University with degrees in Economics and Communications, Gale Anne Hurd worked in various capacities for legendary producer Roger Corman’s New World Pictures.  In 1984 she produced and co-wrote her first feature film, genre classic The Terminator. She then produced the legendary Academy Award-winning Aliens, followed by Academy Award®-winning films The AbyssTerminator 2: Judgment DayThe Ghost and the Darkness, and Armageddon. In television, she is an Executive Producer of AMC’s The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead, the Amazon streaming series Lore, and serves as a Consulting Producer on AMC’s top-rated talk show, Talking Dead. In 2012, Hurd received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She will be present on June 29, 2019 at the 6th annual Etheria Film Night showcase to receive the award in person and will act as a finalist judge of the 2019 Etheria Selections.

Etheria Film Night 2019 is co-presented by the American Cinematheque and will take place at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood on June 29, 2019. The evening will include a courtyard cocktail reception and red carpet ceremony sponsored by Blumhouse, SHUDDER, Ving Vodka, Founders Brewing, Topo Chico, and Franca Rebecci Truffles. 2019 Etheria awards are sponsored by The BloodList, The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies, Final Draft, Fangoria Magazine, and Paramours and Poltergeists. 2019 Etheria community partners include Horrible Imaginings, Slaughter Movie House, Midsummer Scream, and Days of the Dead. The start times, screening schedule, and detailed information can be found on the official Etheria website at www.etheriafilmnight.com.

About the Author

Norman Gidney is a nearly lifelong horror fan. Beginning his love for the scare at the age of 5 by watching John Carpenter's Halloween, he set out on a quest to share his passion for all things spooky with the rest of the world.