Hollywood, CA -- The 16th Annual Hollywood Film Awards, presented by the Los Angeles Times, is pleased to announce that writer/director/producer Judd Apatow will be given the “Hollywood Comedy Award”; actor John Hawkes will receive the “Hollywood Breakout Performance Award”; actress Quvenzhane Wallis will receive the “New Hollywood Award”; cinematographer Wally Pfister, A.S.C. will receive the “Hollywood Cinematographer Award”; and Disney and Marvel Entertainment’s The Avengers, directed by Josh Whedon, produced by Kevin Feige and with visual effects from VFX supervisors Janek Sirrs and Jeff White will receive the “Hollywood Visual Effects Award.”

“We look forward to celebrating these exceptionally talented filmmakers and artists for their outstanding work and creative vision,” said Carlos de Abreu, Founder and Executive Director of the Hollywood Film Awards.

The Hollywood Film Awards Gala Ceremony will take place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills on October 22, 2012. The event honors cherished stars and up-and-coming talent, and traditionally kicks off the film awards season with the biggest stars and top industry executives in attendance. 

“We are very proud to be the first stop of the awards season. In the last nine years, a total of 85 Oscar nominations and 32 Oscars were given to the honorees of the Hollywood Film Awards,” said de Abreu.

Last year's awards show reached a total TV audience of more than 41 million media impressions, in addition to more than 300 million online and print readers' impressions.

Aside from celebrating accomplishments on screen, the Hollywood Film Awards established the “Hollywood Gives Back” program to expand and continue highlighting and assisting important local and national charities to raise funds. Over the years, the Hollywood Film Awards has contributed to such charities as the following: The Art of Elysium, Artists For Human Rights, Artists for Peace and Justice, MatchingDonors.com, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, the Enough Project, and Variety The Children's Charity of Southern California, among others.

Further, the Hollywood Film Awards selects individuals to be recipients of their “Hollywood Humanitarian Awards” in recognition of their contribution to the betterment of their communities or society at large. Prior recipients include Nobel Peace Prize winner and ex-President of East Timor, Dr. Jose Ramos-Horta, Nobel Laureate Jody Williams, Father Rick Frechette, and actor and activist Sean Penn.

Audiences will get to experience Judd Apatow's next film, This Is 40, when it is released by Universal Pictures on December 21, 2012.

An original comedy that expands upon the story of Pete (Paul Rudd) and Debbie (Leslie Mann) from the blockbuster hit Knocked Up, we will see first-hand how they are dealing with their current state of life. The film also stars John Lithgow, Megan Fox, Iris Apatow, Maude Apatow, Jason Segel, Melissa McCarthy, Robert Smigel, Charlene Yi and Albert Brooks.

Initially aspiring to become a professional comedian, Apatow eventually stopped performing in favor of writing. After writing on a few award shows, cable specials, The Larry Sanders Show and The Ben Stiller Show (which he co-created), Apatow served as an executive producer on NBC's critically-acclaimed Freaks and Geeks.

He then made his feature-film debut as a director with 2005's The 40-Year-Old Virgin. Co-written by Apatow and the film's star, Steve Carell, The 40-Year-Old Virgin opened at number one at the box office.

In 2007, he directed, wrote and produced Knocked Up, which grossed more than $200 million internationally. He followed this up by producing the hit comedies Superbad, Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Pineapple Express and writing and directing 2009's Funny People. Additional producing credits include The Cable Guy, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, and Get Him to the Greek.