Warner Bros.' "BATMAN BEGINS," Disney's "HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE," Dimension's "SIN CITY" and Paramount's "WAR OF THE WORLDS" will be presented with awards at 9th annual HOLLYWOOD AWARDS.

The Hollywood Film Festival's Board of Advisors is proud to announce that this year's festival will honor Warner Bros.' "Batman Begins" with the "Hollywood Sound of the Year Award," Disney's "Howl's Moving Castle" with the "Hollywood Animation of the Year Award," Dimension's "Sin City" with the "Hollywood Make-Up of the Year Award," and Paramount's "War of the Worlds" with its "Hollywood Visual Effects of the Year Award."

The awards will be bestowed upon the honorees as part of the Hollywood Awards Gala Ceremony on Monday evening, October 24, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

The announcement was made today by Carlos de Abreu, Founder and Executive Director of the Hollywood Film Festival. "Every year we are very proud to honor excellence in the art of filmmaking in all its disciplines, and this year's honorees are outstanding examples of that excellence," said Mr. de Abreu.

"BATMAN BEGINS," from Warner Bros., will be honored with the "Hollywood Sound of the Year Award." Directed by Christopher Nolan, the film stars Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson and Katie Holmes. The film's supervising sound editor is David G. Evans, whose film credits include "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," "Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life," "Die Another Day," "Spider," "Crash," "M. Butterfly," "Three of Hearts" and "The Fly," among others.

"HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE," an animated feature from Walt Disney Pictures, will receive the festival's "Hollywood Animation of the Year Award." Directed by the highly regarded filmmaker of animation Hayao Miyazaki (Oscar(r)-winning director of "Spirited Away"), "Howl's Moving Castle" tells the love story of an 18-year-old in an old woman's body and a magician and the magical adventure they take on the enchanted moving castle.

"SIN CITY," from Dimension Films, will be awarded the "Hollywood Make-Up of the Year Award." Directed by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez, "Sin City" is a graphic and stylish adaptation of Frank Miller's stories based on the fictional town of Sin City. The film's special make-up supervisor is Gregory Nicotero, whose film credits include "Ray" and the "Kill Bill" films, among many others.

"WAR OF THE WORLDS" will be honored with the festival's "Hollywood Visual Effects of the Year Award." From Paramount Pictures and directed by Steven Spielberg, the film stars Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning. The summer blockbuster enthralled audiences with its extraordinary and thrilling visual effects from Industrial Light & Magic, led by senior visual effects supervisor Dennis Muren, who has been nominated for twelve Oscars(r) and has won six times. Mr. Muren's credits include "Jurassic Park," "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," "The Abyss," "Innerspace," "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom," "Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi," "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," and "Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back," among many others.


Other industry professionals who will be honored for their achievements at the Gala Awards Ceremony are Oscar(r)-nominated cinematographer Pawel Edelman who will receive the "Hollywood Cinematographer of the Year Award," Academy Award-winning editor Walter Murch who will be honored with the "Hollywood Editor of the Year Award," Academy Award-winning costume designer Colleen Atwood who will be honored with the "Hollywood Costume Designer of the Year Award," Oscar(r)-winning production designer Grant Major who will receive the "Hollywood Production Designer of the Year Award" and casting director Avy Kaufman who will be honored with the "Hollywood Casting Director of the Year Award."