'The Help' to Receive Ensemble Award at 15th Annual Hollywood Film Awards (Exclusive)

Dreamworks

I have learned that the star-studded cast of Tate Taylor's The Help -- DreamWorks Picture's late-summer adaptation of Kathryn Stockett's best-selling novel that topped the box-office charts each of its first three weekends in release and has earned more than $150 million worldwide, thus far -- has been chosen to receive this year's Hollywood Ensemble Acting Award at the 15th annual Hollywood Film Festival and Hollywood Film Awards, presented by Starz, the first awards show of the Oscar season.

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Carlos de Abreu, the Founder and Executive Director of the event, says that no fewer than a dozen of the film's actors -- including all of those who play its principal characters -- have indicated that they will collect the award in-person at a gala ceremony on October 24, 2011, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. They include: 2009 best supporting actress Oscar nominee/current best actress Oscar hopeful Viola Davis, best supporting actress Oscar hopeful Octavia Spencer, and Jessica Chastain, Bryce Dallas Howard, Allison Janney, Chris Lowell, Ahna O'Reilly, Emma Stone, 1981 best actress Oscar winner Sissy Spacek, 1981 best supporting actress Oscar winner Mary Steenburgen, 1973 best actress Oscar nominee Cicely Tyson, and Mike Vogel.

Previous casts honored with this award include Crash (2005), which went on to win the best picture Oscar, as well as Bobby (2006), Hairspray (2007), The Secret Life of Bees (2008), and best picture Oscar nominee The Social Network (2010).

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In recent weeks, de Abreu announced the recipients of several other prizes -- Rango for the Hollywood Animation Award; Oscar nominee Emmanuel Lubezki (The Tree of Life) for the Hollywood Cinematographer Award; Oscar winner Stephen Mirrione (The Ides of March) with the Hollywood Editor Award; Oscar nominee James Murakami (J. Edgar) for the Hollywood Production Designer Award; and Oscar winner Scott Farrar (Transformers: Dark of the Moon) for the Hollywood Visual Effects Award -- and says that the remaining honorees will be announced over the next few weeks.