GREGORY PECK AWARD
Mark Hamill is a BAFTA and Emmy-winning actor whose face and voice have graced screens for over 40 years. He was most recently seen as “The Major” in Lionsgate’s Steven King adaptation THE LONG WALK and re-teamed with Mike Flanagan to star opposite Tom Hiddleston in Neon’s THE LIFE OF CHUCK, which won the Audience Award at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. Additional upcoming projects include Paramount’s upcoming THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SEARCH FOR SQUAREPANTS, in which he plays The Flying Dutchman. 

Hamill is best known for his portrayal of Luke Skywalker in the original STAR WARS movies and reprised his role in both the sequels as well as the second season of “The Mandalorian” and season one of “The Book of Boba Fett.” He has also appeared in the films KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE, Sony’s THE MACHINE, and BRIGSBY BEAR. Hamill’s extensive voice acting work includes Dreamwork’s recent 3x Oscar-nominated THE WILD ROBOT, the Oscar-winning THE BOY AND THE HERON, a long-standing role as the Joker, commencing with “Batman: The Animated Series” and the video game “Arkham City,” for which he received a BAFTA Award. On the small screen, Hamill appeared in Netflix’s “Sandman” as well as “Dark Crystal,” F/X’s “What We Do In the Shadows,” and Mike Flanagan’s “House of Usher” for Netflix. On stage, he has appeared in several Broadway productions, receiving a nomination for a Drama Desk Award in 1985 for Outstanding Actor in a Musical.

Virtuoso Award
John Magaro has built an acclaimed career spanning film, television, and theatre. He recently starred as Keith Jarrett in KÖLN 75, which premiered at Berlinale 2025, and in OMAHA, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival. Magaro also appeared in September 5 with Peter Sarsgaard and will star in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s upcoming The Bride! alongside Jessie Buckley, Christian Bale, and Penélope Cruz.

He previously co-starred in the Oscar-nominated Past Lives and earned praise for performances in First Cow, The Many Saints of Newark, Showing Up, Overlord, The Big Short, and Carol. On television, he can be seen in Paramount+’s The Agency and Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy.

A frequent collaborator of director Kelly Reichardt, Magaro recently wrapped The Mastermind and continues to be celebrated for his versatility and emotional depth across stage and screen.

Visionary Impact Award
Marlee Matlin’s film debut in Paramount’s Children of a Lesser God earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress. In 2021, she was nominated again as Executive Producer of the Oscar-nominated short Feeling Through. In 2022, her Apple TV+ film CODA won Best Picture. She’s received four Emmy nominations and, in 2023, became the first Deaf member of the Directors Guild of America. In 2025, her documentary Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore opened Sundance and aired on PBS.

SPOTLIGHT AWARD
Joe Manganiello (actor, director, host, producer, writer) earned his BFA in Acting from Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Drama. He rose to fame as Alcide on HBO’s True Blood and went on to star in Magic Mike, Spider-Man, Sabotage, Rampage, Pee-Wee’s Big Holiday, and as Deathstroke in Justice League.

He currently stars in the Emmy-nominated Netflix film Nonnas alongside Vince Vaughn and recently wrapped filming in South Africa for Netflix’s One Piece, joining Season 2 as fan-favorite villain “Crocodile.”

Manganiello also hosts and executive produces NBC’s primetime game show Deal or No Deal Island, streaming on Peacock. His additional credits include The Kill Room (opposite Uma Thurman and Samuel L. Jackson), Apple TV’s Mythic Quest, and Netflix’s Love, Death & Robots.

He co-founded production company 3:59 and serves on the boards of UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and The Children of Armenian Fund.