Film News: Matt Damon Named Gene Siskel Film Center Renaissance Award Honoree

CHICAGO – Matt Damon, the leading man whose roles play like a character actor, is the latest recipient of the Gene Siskel Film Center Renaissance Award, part of the Center’s 50th Anniversary fundraiser (click here [14] for details) He will do a live virtual interview moderated by Robert Downey Jr., which will be screened at the Gene Siskel Film Center on June 25th, 2022, as part of a 50th Anniversary event.

Gene Siskel Film Center Renaissance Award Honoree Matt Damon
Photo credit: SiskelFilmCenter.org

Matthew Paige Damon was born in Massachusetts, and graduated from Harvard University, dropping out to take a supporting role in his film, “Geronimo: An American Legend” (his debut role was a single line, at age 18, in “Mystic Pizza”). A screenplay that he began at Harvard became his major breakthrough, as he completed it with high school friend Ben Affleck, and they both broke out in “Good Will Hunting,” garnering them the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.

From there, Matt Damon has had a varied and impressive film career. Highlights include “Saving Private Ryan,” “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” “The Bourne Identity,” “The Departed,” “True Grit,” “The Martian” and “Stillwater,” in addition to the upcoming “Thor: Love and Thunder.” Robert Downey Jr. is a previous recipient of the Gene Siskel Film Center Renaissance Award, and will be conducting the live virtual interview.

Celebrating its 50th Anniversary, the Gene Siskel Film Center of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago – it honored the notable Chicago film critic by renaming the Center in his memory in 2000 – has presented cutting edge cinema to downtown State Street audiences since 1972. The Film Center’s programming includes annual film festivals that celebrate diverse voices and international cultures, premieres of trailblazing work by today’s independent filmmakers, restorations and revivals of essential films from cinema history, and insightful, provocative discussions with filmmakers and media artists.

[16]	By PATRICK McDONALD [17] Editor and Film Writer HollywoodChicago.com pat@hollywoodchicago.com [16]