Key West, FL — November 13, 2023 — The Key West Film Festival and The Charles and Lucille King Family Foundation are pleased to announce an extension of their partnership which began in 2021, and which will now last through the 2028 edition of the festival. The ongoing support of THE CHARLES & LUCILLE KING FAMILY FOUNDATION will focus on Key West Film Festival’s annual celebration of film and filmmakers, as well as student film awards and educational initiatives.

Foundation Chair and President Diana King was a longtime supporter of the arts, and helped pave the way for many different projects to take root and be cultivated across all media. Inspired by her time in Key West and at the Festival, she communicated wishes to her team at the Foundation to help support the yearly celebration of film in The Florida Keys. They have carried on her desires posthumously and The Key West Film Festival is eternally grateful for their support.

“For more than ten years, The Key West Film Festival has been providing financial opportunities to aspiring and student filmmakers. Through the generosity of The Charles and Lucille King Family Foundation, the Festival will continue to recognize and award these vital scholarships in 2023,” said Key West Film Festival Founder and Executive Director, Brooke Christian.

THE CHARLES & LUCILLE KING FAMILY FOUNDATION

Diana King grew up in the world of television, a daughter of the late Charles King (who founded King World Productions in 1964) and his wife Lucille King. King World became the leading distributor of television syndicated programming in the United States, including such iconic series as The Little Rascals, Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy!, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Inside Edition and Dr. Phil. Diana began working in the accounting department of the family business in 1972, and at the time of King World’s acquisition by the CBS Corporation in 2000 served as Executive Vice President, Corporate Secretary and Director.

Diana established the Foundation in 1988 to support individuals and organizations committed to educational excellence and professional development, in particular in film, television and other media. During her 30-year tenure as Board Chair and President, the Foundation awarded hundreds of scholarships to students with a focus in film, television and related media/communications studies at colleges and universities around the country, in many instances to individuals who would have been financially unable to continue their studies without this assistance.  In addition, the Foundation has acted as a longtime sponsor of programs at several leading cultural and educational institutions around the country.

Website: http://www.kingfoundation.org

ABOUT THE KEY WEST FILM FESTIVAL
Honoring creativity, diversity, sustainability and beauty, the Key West Film Festival is an annual celebration of film and filmmakers set to take place November 15-19, 2023.

A diverse, entertaining, and artistically rigorous selection of films will be represented through a broad array of categories that offer opportunities for filmmakers, both aspiring and established, to commune and exchange ideas while showing their work to audiences in an historic and artistically vibrant tropical paradise.

Films that have been showcased in the last five years of the festival have amassed over EIGHTY Academy Award nominations – six of which were for Best Picture – and sixteen Oscar wins, including two for Best Picture (Spotlight and Shape of Water).

For more information, visit our website: https://keywestff.com

Twitter – @keywestfilmfest
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