Catalina Film Festival Celebrates 15 Years of Cinema by the Sea with Community Reunion and Star Tributes
- Jessica Ross
- Oct 3
- 4 min read
Updated: Oct 3
By Jessica Ross
Catalina Film Festival’s 15th Anniversary celebration spotlighted the power of community—on screen and off. Comedian and actor Ken Jeong, best known for his unforgettable role as Mr. Chow in The Hangover, was crowned the Festival’s King of Comedy at Saturday’s red carpet Awards Ceremony at the iconic Avalon Theater. The award was presented by his longtime friend and Community co-star, Yvette Nicole Brown, who he affectionately referred to as “bubby” multiple times on stage.
As expected, Jeong had the audience rolling with laughter, blending heartfelt sincerity with his signature wit. He traced his inspiring path from practicing medicine at Kaiser Permanente to portraying doctors on TV, crediting his wife, Dr. Tran Ho, for pushing him to leap headfirst into Hollywood. With his trademark candor, Jeong repeatedly thanked his “Ho,” turning the heartfelt tribute into one of the night’s biggest punchlines.
BOB MORLEY AND ELIZA TAYLOR, WEARING L’IDÉE, AT 15TH ANNUAL CATALINA FILM FESTIVAL.CREDIT: UNIQUE NICOLE/GETTY IMAGES
Never missing an opportunity for a gag, Jeong joked that the journey to Catalina’s “Hollywood by the Sea” took “about 19 hours” and quipped that the Festival should consider upgrading him from King to Emperor. In true Catalina fashion, the production team rolled with the bit, flashing an edited onscreen title mid-ceremony—much to Jeong’s delight and the audience’s roaring applause.
CATALINA FILM FESTIVAL FOUNDERS RON TRUPPA & TIM DELIOUS KENNEDY WITH KING/ EMPEROR OF COMEDY KEN JEONG .CREDIT: JACOB CHAVEZ
Saturday’s Awards Ceremony was preceded by Catalina Film Festival’s VIP Pre-Red Carpet Party, hosted in Hamilton Cove, with honorees Marla Gibbs (The Jeffersons, 227) and Eva De Dominici (The Cleaning Lady) in attendance alongside Yvette Nicole Brown, Ken Jeong, Landon Ashworth, Bob Morley, Eliza Taylor, and more.
LEGENDARY FLAME MARLA GIBBS ATTENDS 15TH ANNUAL CATALINA FILM FESTIVAL. CREDIT: UNIQUE NICOLE/GETTY IMAGES
Marla Gibbs was honored with the Catalina Film Festival’s Legendary Flame Award at Saturday’s ceremony. Gibbs was featured in the short film Mildred 4 a Million, directed by Kim Peeler Callaway. Eva De Dominici received the Crest Rising Star Award and was featured in the short film The Call of Nishi, directed by Michelle Danner. John Cleese received the Icon Award, accepting with a video message. Cleese starred in the World Premiere of How to Make Her Leave, directed by Michael Boccalini and Che Grant.
CREST RISING STAR HONOREE EVA DE DOMINICI WEARING ARGENTINIAN DESIGNER NATALIA ANTOLIN, HARDEM EYEWEAR, SWAROVSKI JEWELRY AT THE 15TH ANNUAL CATALINA FILM FESTIVAL . CREDIT: UNIQUE NICOLE/GETTY IMAGES
The 4-day Catalina Film Festival wrapped its 15th Anniversary on Sunday with industry panels including Music to Our Ears – Film Soundtrack, moderated by CFF Co-Founder Delious “Tim” Kennedy (Grammy Award-winning group All-4-One), featuring Chanda Dancy, Allyson Newman, Youssef Guezoum, Peter Murray, and Logan Gammill. Additional programming included Festival, Markets & Distribution with Heather Brittain, Mitesh Panel, Chandler Film Fest, Max Geschwind (CAA), and Shawn Quirk.
KEN JEONG, YVETTE NICOLE BROWN AND DR. TRAN HO TAKE A SELFIE DURING THE 15TH ANNUAL CATALINA FILM FESTIVAL. CREDIT: UNIQUE NICOLE/GETTY IMAGES
Other highlights included a Roller-Skating Party in the ballroom of the Catalina Casino, the annual Lions Den Pitch Panel featuring Michelle Danner (Director), Thomas Adam (MRC – Knives Out, Saltburn), Jonathan Brostoff (Platinum Dunes – A Quiet Place, The Purge), J.T. Madicus (Star Nova Ventures), Jeff Reynolds (Film Producer), Shival Bajpay (Atlas), and the exclusive Wes Craven Horror & Thriller short film block. Catalina Film Festival is the only festival to present an official Wes Craven Award, sanctioned by Wes himself and posthumously continued on by his family.
For a complete list of the 2025 Catalina Film Festival Award Winners, visit: www.catalinafilm.org.
Heart Of Hollywood Magazine Contributor Jessica Ross:
Since August 2022, Jessica Ross has been a contributor at Heart of Hollywood Magazine. Recent work includes Hollywood Unexpected airing on the XOTV Network digitally and broadcast and a starring role in the upcoming suspense thriller, Mr. Smith. Recently, she was a lead and co-producer in "Chasing Stars", a comedic-drama with an all female cast and crew.
Center Stage, Vegas Unlimited, Indie Activity, Action Magazine, Voyage LA, Cinderella of New York, Juwai, Bizbooast, Heart of Hollywood, JAMO Magazine, Entertainment Network Live, It Can By You, Livein Style Magazine, BuzzFeed and CBS are just a few of the media outlets she has been featured on.
Email: Jessicaross2030@gmail.com
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