SIFF Honors Sir Ben Kingsley
Legendary Actor to Receive 2008 Golden Space Needle Award
Complete Festival Schedule Available Now at www.siff.net

SIFF will present Sir Ben Kingsley with the 2008 Golden Space Needle for Outstanding Achievement in Acting in recognition of his extraordinary career. The Tribute ceremony will include a montage of film clips highlighting his diverse work as a cinema icon and presentation of a one-of-a-kind sculptural award created by renowned glass artist Dale Chihuly. The presentation will be followed by the North American premiere of Elegy, directed by Isabel Coixet. After the screening, Sir Ben Kingsley will take the stage again for an in-depth interview moderated by journalist David Poland (Movie City News) and a Q&A session with the audience. The special Tribute event will take place Sunday, May 25 at 2:00pm at the Egyptian Theatre.

Sir Ben Kingsley will also be on hand to introduce a 6:00pm screening of Sexy Beast, for which he received an Oscar nomination in 2000. Tickets for the Award Tribute and the screening of Elegy are $35 ($25 for SIFF supporters). Separate admission for Sexy Beast is $11 ($9 for SIFF Supporters). Tickets are available at www.siff.net.

The evening will continue at a private Tribute Dinner celebration with Sir Ben Kingsley as the guest of honor. The dinner takes place at Volterra Restaurant Drawing Room (5411 Ballard Ave NW) at 6:00pm. Tickets are $200 per person, with proceeds benefiting SIFF. Tickets are available at www.siff.net.

"It is truly a privilege for us to present this award to Sir Ben Kingsley in Seattle," says SIFF Artistic Director Carl Spence. "This world class actor has given us opportunities throughout his career to discover many aspects of the human condition, creating extraordinary film experiences for audiences here and around the globe."

Sir Ben Kingsley earned an Academy Award, two Golden Globes, and two BAFTA Awards for his eponymous performance in Gandhi (1983). He is also the recipient of three Oscar nominations for his roles in Bugsy (1991), Sexy Beast (2000), and House of Sand and Fog (2003). In 2000, Kingsley was recognized in his native country by HM Queen Elizabeth II, who named him a Commander of the Order of the British Empire and knighted him the next year as part of the 2001 New Year's Honors.

In addition to Elegy and Sexy Beast, SIFF will also present two other films starring Sir Ben Kingsley as part of this year's program: The Wackness, directed by Jonathan Levine, and Transsiberian, directed by Brad Anderson.

The 34th Seattle International Film Festival runs May 22 through June 15. The complete SIFF program schedule is available now at www.siff.net, and as a special pull-out section in the Thursday, May 8 edition of The Seattle Times. The SIFF Box Office opens to SIFF Supporters Thursday, May 8, and to the general public on Sunday, May 11. Tickets are available online at www.siff.net, by phone at 206-324-9996, or at the Pacific Place Box Office Ticket Island (600 Pine St., second level).