Nassau, Bahamas – The
Bahamas International Film Festival (BIFF) announced today that Debra Messing
(“Like Sunday Like Rain, Will and Grace, The Women, Open Season, The Wedding
Date, The Starter Wife, Seinfeld”) will be honored with BIFF’s special Shining
Star Tribute, presented by Atlantis Resort. The announcement was made by BIFF
Founder & Executive Director Leslie Vanderpool.
The Festival’s Shining Star Award is given to an actor or actress whose
noteworthy performances have put them on the path for elite and lasting stardom
in the industry. Debra Messing will be on hand for the special BIFF Award
tribute presentation on Friday, December 5th at Atlantis Theater at
the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island. The Shining Star Tribute will be
moderated by Dennis Dembia, Senior Vice President of Rogers & Cowan.
Debra
Messing is best known for her role on NBC’s Emmy Award-winning comedy series
“Will & Grace.” Messing captivated television audiences worldwide for eight
seasons with her comedic brilliance as Grace Adler, an interior designer whose
best friend and soul mate is gay. For her work on the popular sitcom, Messing
won the 2003 Emmy Award, has earned a total of seven Golden Globe nominations,
seven Screen Actors Guild nominations, winning the ensemble award in 2001, five
additional Emmy nominations, two American Comedy Award nominations and two
People’s Choice Award nominations. She also collected TV Guide’s Actress of the
Year in a Comedy Series honor in 2001.
Currently Debra
stars on the new NBC series “The Mysteries of Laura” as the character Laura
Diamond, opposite Josh Lucas and Laz Alonso. The series is an adaptation of the
Spanish television series “Los Misterios de Laura,” and chronicles the life of
Laura Diamond (Messing), a homicide detective in the New York Police Department
who balances her day job with her off-duty hours as a single mother to twin
sons. The series premiered on September 24, 2014 and was given a full-season
order after averaging more than 10 million viewers. Debra’s performance on the
series has earned her her People’s Choice Award nomination, in the category of
Favorite Actress in a New TV Series.
Debra appears in the
independent drama,
Like Sunday, Like
Rain, written and directed by
Frank
Whaley. The film, starring Leighton Meester and Billie Joe Armstrong, screened
at select film festivals and will screen at the 2014 Bahamas International Film
Festival on Friday, December 5, 2014, at which Messing will be honored with the
festival’s special Shining Star Tribute. Monterey Media will release the film
in Spring 2015.
Earlier this year
Messing made her Broadway debut in the Manhattan Theater Club’s winter
production of “Outside Mullingar” opposite Brian F. O’Byrne. The play opened at
the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre on January 23, 2014 and had its final
performance on March 16, 2014. “Outside Mullingar” was nominated for a 2014
Tony Award in the category of “Best Play,” a 2014 Outer Critics Circle Award in
the category of “Outstanding New Broadway Play,” and a 2014 Drama Desk Award in
the category of “Outstanding Play.”
In 2012 and 2013,
Messing was seen for two seasons on NBC’s “Seinfeld” which follows the process
of putting on a Broadway musical about Marilyn Monroe, and the drama that
ensues. Messing plays Julia Houston, a songwriter and lyricist developing her
brainchild Marilyn: The Musical. The drama is executive produced by Steven
Spielberg with Michael Mayer directing and co-starring Katharine McPhee and
Anjelica Huston.
In 2008, Messing
starred in
Nothing Like the Holidays
alongside John Leguizamo, Freddy Rodriguez, Alfred Molina and Elizabeth
Peña.
Nothing Like the Holidays was released by Overture Films on December
12, 2008 and is the story about a Latino family combatting their personal
struggles in the one place that they have in common. Also this year, Messing was seen in
The Women, a re-make of the classic film
which centers on a group of gossipy high-society women whose personal lives
collide. Messing commandeered the role
of Edith Potter alongside Hollywood powerhouses Annette Bening, Meg Ryan, Jada
Pinkett Smith, Eva Mendes, Cloris Leachman and Candice Bergen.
The
Women was released September 12, 2008.
Vanderpool Comments, “Debra Messing is one of my favorite
female leads, she is radiant and has such a wonderful range of talent that will
continue to make the world laugh and cry with every role she embraces. BIFF is
honored to recognize Debra Messing at this year’s festival.”
About Dennis Dembia
Dennis Dembia In
his role as Senior Vice President, spearheads Rogers & Cowan's corporate
accounts in the company’s global corporate entertainment division, handling
worldwide marketing and publicity initiatives for the company’s highly
respected roster of clients in the film and television space. He is responsible
for managing long-term and day-to-day strategic campaign initiatives for
leading film and TV production companies, financiers, distributors, studios and
sales companies and works with major international film festivals around the
globe.
Dembia has over
fifteen years of public relations and corporate communications experience
within the entertainment industry. He was Manager of Corporate Publicity at Denmead
Marketing, a boutique agency specializing in international marketing & PR,
when the agency was folded into Rogers & Cowan in 2004.
Previously, he
served as Director of Corporate Communications for leading independent studio
Artisan Entertainment (now Lionsgate) where he led corporate PR initiatives
activity across all operating divisions, which included theatrical film, home
entertainment, new media, television and corporate affairs.
Prior to joining
Artisan, Dembia worked for two NBA franchises; the Boston Celtics and Detroit
Pistons, as well as NASCAR and the Washington D.C. based lobbying firm Cassidy
& Associates. Dembia holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the
University of Maryland.
About the Bahamas International Film Festival:
The Bahamas
International Film Festival (BIFF) is a nonprofit organization committed to
providing the local community and International festival goers with a diverse
presentation of films from The Bahamas and around the world. In addition to
showcasing films that might not otherwise be released theatrically, BIFF
provides unique cultural experiences, educational programs, and forums for
exploring the past, present & future of cinema. BIFF aims to raise the
level of filmmaking, participation and education throughout The Bahamas and the
world.
The full BIFF program is available in print or online
at
www.bintlfilmfest.com.
Tickets
can be purchased in person
at BIFF Lounge, downtown next to the Hilton Hotel across from Mcdonalds or at
the theater on the day of the event.