DENNIS HOPPER'S CONTRIBUTION TO MODERN CINEMA CAPRI, ITALY OVER THE HOLIDAY AND NEW YEAR

Los Angeles, CA Dennis Hopper, the visionary actor who has starred in some of the most important films ever made, will receive the Capri Legend Award, Sunday, December 28 at the 12^th Annual Capri, Hollywood - The International Film Festival. Producer Mark Canton (300, The Spiderwick Chronicles) serves as Chairman of the international gathering, December 27^th through January 2^nd in Capri, Italy.  The Capri Legend Award, one of the premier honors given by festival organizers, is presented to an actor whose extraordinary performances are considered masterpieces in the world of cinema. 

"Dennis Hopper's work is the absolute essence of perfection; pure, impactful and effortless.  I can think of no better recipient of our Capri Legend Award," said event producer Pascal Vicedomini. The Capri Legend Award is presented under the auspices of The Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage, the Neapolitan museum collaborative, the Naples Chamber of Commerce and through the support Kimbo Coffee and Fiuggi Mineral Water.

"There is no one more deserving of this honor than my long-time friend Dennis Hopper," Festival chair Mark Canton added.  "His body of work as an actor, writer, director and fine artist is unparalleled.  He is indeed an icon and an industry legend and his global impact will be part of the worldwide time capsule forevermore."

Capri, Hollywood-The International Film Festival also intends to honor additional individuals who have distinguished themselves in cinema including director Paul Verhoeven (Capri Cult Award), Art Linson (Global Producer of the Year Award), financier Ryan Kavanaugh, (Global Motion Picture Entrepreneur Award) and young actors Freddie Highmore  (Breakout Actor Award ) and Hayden Panettiere (Breakout Actress Award).

Dennis Hopper is associated with an amazing number of classic and memorable films.   He made his screen debut in Johnny Guitar (1954) and immediately followed with Rebel Without A Cause with James Dean and Natalie Wood, Giant with Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson and Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.  In 1969, Hopper wrote (along with Peter Fonda, Terry Southern), starred in and directed the quintessential counterculture movie, Easy Rider. The film marked a turning point in film history and catapulted the independent filmmaker into mainstream America.

In 1979, Hopper starred in Francis Ford Coppola's Vietnam War epic Apocalypse Now with Marlon Brando and Martin Sheen. He worked again with Coppola on the crime drama, Rumble Fish. His unnerving performance in the troubling and erotic thriller, Blue Velvet, earned a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor. Additionally, Hopper's performance in Hoosiers garnered him a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination (1986).  In 2008, Hopper will appear in four films including Swing Vote with Kevin Costner and Charlize Theron and The Palermo Shooting, which was shot in Sicily.

Dennis Hopper is a serious painter, a critically acclaimed photographer and a serious art collector. 

Additional highlights of the 12^th Annual Capri, Hollywood - The Film Festival include juried awards of the best Italian films of 2007 and The Fiuggi International Producing Symposium helmed by Academy Award winning writer/producer/director Bobby Moresco.

Directors in attendance will also include Shekhar Kapur (Elizabeth: The Golden Age, The Four Feathers), Michael Radford (The Merchant of Venice, Flawless), Terry Gilliam (Brothers Grimm, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, 12 Monkeys), John Irvin (The Moon and The Stars, The Garden of Eden), Billie August (Goodbye Bafana, A Song for Martin), Lina Wertmuller (Swept Away), Mimmo Calopresti (Una Bellissima Bambina), Emanuele Crialese (The Golden Door), Claude Lalouche (A Man and a Woman), Giuseppe Tornatore (The Other Woman) and Rob Minkoff (Forbidden Kingdom, Mr. Peabody and Sherman).

The final schedule of events of the 12^th Annual Capri, Hollywood-The International Film Festival will be announced on December 20^th in Rome.

For further information, please check www.caprihollywood.com.