top to bottom: Ross J. Hawkins, BACKLOT FILM FESTIVAL founder and president with Carl Reiner and Star Trek actress Nichelle Nichols; 2008 Ince Award recipient, Carl Reiner with award presenter and son, Rob Reiner; Ken Lock with 2007 Ince Award recipient Budd Shulberg and presenter, Ben Stiller; 2008 BACKLOT FILM FESTIVAL held at the Culver City Veterans Memorial Auditorium.

THE BACKLOT FILM FESTIVAL is held the first week in April every year in Culver City and Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 2004 to cultivate an appreciation of the rich heritage of the motion picture industry and to bring greater understanding of the debt filmmaking owes to the earlier Pioneers.

The mission of the BACKLOT FILM FESTIVAL is to:

-give independent filmmakers the opportunity to showcase their work for industry executives and distributors;

-create a better understanding of the major art form of the last one hundred plus years-the motion picture;

-explore the rich film history of Culver City, West Los Angeles and the beach cities of Santa Monica, Venice and Playa del Rey, often referred to as 'The Other Hollywood'.

With the goal of educating, encouraging and empowering young filmmakers in the production process of filmmaking and the art of storytelling, the BACKLOT FILM FESTIVAL aims to continue this ongoing dialogue on the future of film while recognizing and revealing the wonders of its past.

THOMAS H. INCE AWARD

Thomas Harper Ince was one of the most important and influential figures in the history of the American film industry. His combined output as a director, producer and screenwriter extended to thousands of films during the formative years of the film industry. He introduced production procedures and the quality of standards that set the model and helped mold the distinct image of Hollywood films to this day.

In 1915 he worked with real estate entrepreneur Harry Culver in constructing the first of two major motion picture studios in the new town of Culver City. These two studios dominated the economic, cultural and civic life of the town.

The legacy of Thomas Ince is enormously important to the history of the development of the motion picture industry in the United States. It is most appropriate that the BACKLOT FILM FESTIVAL should establish the Thomas H. Ince Award to honor those filmmakers who have made a contribution to the history of the film industry. (from the BACKLOT FILM FESTIVAL 2008 program)