American film producer and current president of Lucasfilm has been named the recipient of this year's Kerry International Film Festival (KIFF) Maureen O’Hara award.

Esteemed producer, Kathleen Kennedy, has participated in the making of over 70 films worldwide including five of the 50 highest-grossing films in motion picture history. She also co-founded the production company Amblin Entertainment with Stephen Spielberg and Frank Marshall. She has produced a wide range of films that have since become beloved by fans, such as the emotionally-endearing 'E.T. the Extra Terrestrial', the thrilling films of the Jurassic Park series, acclaimed historical dramas such as 'Munich', 'Lincoln', and 'Schindler’s List', and three of the four celebrated Indiana Jones adventures, among scores of others. She is currently producing several new Star Wars series and films, including the third season of the Emmy Award-winning 'The Mandalorian'.

The much-coveted award is offered exclusively to women who have excelled in film and KIFF are privileged to be presenting this award to a producer of such calibre. Due to COVID restrictions, the award will be presented via an online interview which will be available throughout the festival on the KIFF website and social media platforms.

Taking place October 14 to 17, KIFF is a well-established festival that celebrates shorts, features, live film scores, emerging film talent and industry events. This year, the festival will be hosting both an online and physical event in partnership with venues throughout Kerry, such as Cinema Killarney, Randles Hotel Killarney, the Plaza Hotel Killarney and Siamsa Tíre Tralee.

“It is such an honour to receive the prestigious Maureen O’Hara award, a namesake that represents the progressive grit and enduring grace of powerful women in the industry whose careers and accomplishments paved the way for all of us," Kathleen Kennedy said. "I very much admire what the Kerry International Film Festival has accomplished and look forward to virtually meeting the filmmakers in October!”

KIFF has gone from strength to strength over the past 12 months as they gained over 17,000+ live streams during their online festival in 2020 and they recently received their largest number of film submissions in the festival’s history to date. KIFF will announce their 2021 programme in the coming weeks. See www.kerryfilmfestival.com for more.