Tyler Perry to Receive CinemaCon Visionary Award
LIONSGATE & TYLER PERRY STUDIOS to release Madea’sBig Happy Family on April 22!
Iconic filmmaker and entertainer Tyler Perry will receive the “CinemaCon Visionary Award,” it was announced today by Mitch Neuhauser, managing director of CinemaCon, which will be held March 28-31, 2011, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Perry will be presented with this special honor at the inaugural “CinemaCon Big Screen Achievement Awards” ceremony to take place on Thursday evening, March 31st in The Colosseum of Caesars Palace. The Coca-Cola Company, Official Presenting Sponsor of CinemaCon is also the host of the final night gala awards program.
“From the moment he burst onto the entertainment scene almost ten years ago, Tyler Perry has single-handedly changed the landscape of stage, screen and television with bravado, confidence and tremendous commercial and critical success”, noted Neuhauser. “He has and continues to serve as an inspiration to so many and from his first feature film ‘Diary of a Mad Black Woman’ to his recent release ‘For Colored Girls’, Perry has endeared himself to millions of fans with his unique blend of hope and humor that inspires audiences of every age with his extraordinary body of work. We could not be more honored to present someone who is a true visionary with the 2011 CinemaCon Visionary Award”.
Added Joe Drake, President of Lionsgate’s Motion Picture Division, “Tyler is the very definition of a visionary. He has literally created everything he has based on a vision that was uniquely his, and one that he worked tirelessly to bring to life despite all kinds of barriers. We are so proud to be in business with Mr. Perry, who couldn’t be more deserving of this honor.”
“I am so pleased to be recognized with this award from CinemaCon,” adds Perry. “The success of the industry depends on whether exhibitors can see movies through fans eyes, and anticipate what they want. I’m honored to be receiving this honor from the exhibitors who have helped me provide a great movie-going experience to my fans from the beginning.”
In theaters everywhere on April 22, 2011, Madea’s Big Happy Family once again brings everyone’s favorite wise-cracking, take-no-prisoners grandma to the big screen via Lionsgate® and Tyler Perry Studios. After Madea’s niece Shirley, receives distressing news about her health, Madea jumps into action to help Shirley gather her three adult children, who are to distracted by their own problems, together to share the news as a family. It’s up to Madea, with the help of Aunt Bam, to gather the clan together and make things right the only way she knows how: with a lot of tough love, laughter and the revelation of a long-buried family secret. Written and directed by Perry, who also stars as Madea, and her brother Joe, Madea’s Big Happy Family also stars Loretta Devine, Shad “Bow Wow” Moss, David Mann, Cassi Davis, Tamela Mann, Lauren London, Isaiah Mustafa, Rodney Perry, Shannon Kane, Teyana Taylor, and Natalie Desselle Reid.
Born into poverty and raised in a household scarred by abuse, Perry’s strength, faith and perseverance would later form the foundations of his plays, films, books and shows. A simple piece of advice from Oprah set his career in motion as a diary of his daily thoughts and experiences led to his writing of a musical, I Know I’ve Been Changed, in 1992. Five years later with no money left, sleeping in seedy motels and his car, Perry’s faith in himself and God only got stronger, allowing him to forge ahead. In 1998, his perseverance paid off when the play began a limited church run. The community came out in droves and Perry never looked back as he began an incredible run of eight plays in eight years. Madea first debuted in 2000’s I Can Do Bad All By Myself and spawned three more plays leading to Perry’s jump to the big screen with 2005’s Diary of a Mad Black Woman, which debuted at #1 nationwide. He followed with Madea’s Family Reunion, Daddy’s Little Girls, Why Did I Get Married?, Meet the Browns, The Family That Preys, I Can Do Bad All by Myself, Why Did I Get Married Too?, and For Colored Girls, which were all met with massive fan support and commercial success. In 2006, Perry’s first book, Don’t Make A Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings: Madea’s Uninhibited Commentaries On Life and Love, shot to the top of the New York Times bestseller list and claimed two Quill Book Awards. In 2007, Perry expanded his brand to television with the series House of Payne, the highest-rated first-run syndicated cable show of all time and followed that up with Meet the Browns, the second highest debut ever on cable, after House of Payne. Perry has also signed on to produce Lionsgate upcoming comedy We the Peeples and will play the title character in Rob Cohen’s I, Alex Cross.
About CinemaCon
Held March 28-31, 2011 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, CinemaCon is expected to play host to more than 6,000 motion picture theater industry professionals. Additional information on CinemaCon, the Official Convention of NATO, can be found at www.cinemacon.com.
About NATO
The National Association of Theatre Owners is the largest exhibition trade organization in the world, representing more than 30,000 movie screens in all 50 states, and additional cinemas in 50 countries worldwide. NATO’s membership includes the largest cinema chains in the world and hundreds of independent theatre owners, too. For more information, visit www.natoonline.org or email nato@natodc.com.
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