Stars honoured at Hollywood Awards

Director Ron Howard was among those receiving an outstanding achievement award at the seventh annual Hollywood Film Festival’s Hollywood Awards ceremony.

Howard, winner of the best-director Oscar for 2001’s A Beautiful Mind, won the award for outstanding achievement in directing.

Other winners included Anthony Hopkins and Goldie Hawn, honoured with achievement in acting awards, and producer Sydney Pollack, who received the outstanding achievement in producing award.

The ceremony, honouring independent filmmakers and established Hollywood professionals, was held in Beverly Hills, California.

Scarlett Johansson, star of Lost in Translation, and Orlando Bloom, whose films include the Lord of the Rings movies and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, received breakthrough acting awards.

The festival also announced the winners of the Hollywood movie, actor, actress, supporting actor and supporting actress of the year awards chosen by the public voting online.

The public’s favourites were Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl directed by Gore Verbinski, Johnny Depp (actor), Diane Lane (actress), Geoffrey Rush (supporting actor) and Alison Lohman (supporting actress).

“There is no more appropriate place than the Hollywood Film Festival to honour the illustrious talents of all these magnificent artists who have created some of the most memorable characters and truly unforgettable films,” festival chairwoman Paula Wagner said in a statement.