The Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA) announced today that renowned actor and philanthropist Matt Damon will be presented with the fourth annual Joel Siegel Award at the 16th annual Critics’ Choice Movie Awards. The ceremony will air live on VH1 on Friday, January 14 at 9:00 PM ET/PT.
Given annually, this special award pays homage to beloved “Good Morning America” film critic and BFCA member Joel Siegel, who lost his long struggle with cancer in June, 2007.
Matt Damon has long held a special place in the hearts of the BFCA membership. He won his first two Critics’ Choice Awards 13 years ago, when he burst on the screen as the star and co-writer of “Good Will Hunting.” He has gone on to receive five more nominations, including last year for his work in “Invictus.” Damon is a worldwide box office superstar, thanks to such smash hits as “Saving Private Ryan” and the “Bourne” and “Ocean’s” series. This year, he played crucial roles in two films being honored at the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards, as the Texas Ranger LaBoeuf in the Best Picture nominee “True Grit” and as the voice of the Best Documentary Feature nominee “Inside Job,” as well as starring in Clint Eastwood’s “Hereafter” and Paul Greengrass’ “Green Zone.”
“Matt personifies the values celebrated by the Joel Siegel Award,” says BFCA President Joey Berlin. "Among his many charitable endeavors, Matt’s work as co-founder of Water.org has inspired us to honor him. The profound mission of Water.org is to help bring a day when everyone on the planet can take a safe drink of water. Matt is also a founder of Not On Our Watch, which focuses global attention and resources to stop and prevent mass atrocities. He helps fight AIDS and poverty as a supporter of the ONE Campaign. He is also an ambassador for ONEXONE, a non-profit foundation committed to supporting, preserving and improving the lives of children at home in the United States and around the world, and a spokesperson for Feeding America, this country’s largest hunger-relief organization. Clearly Matt understands, as Joel did, that the true value of celebrity is as an enhanced platform to do good works for others."
Counting down to the live premiere of the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards, VH1 and MTV will air the 16th Annual Critics’ Choice Movie Awards Red Carpet Pre-Show live on Friday, January 14 at 8:30 PM ET/PT. Covering the excitement of the celebrity arrivals on the red carpet will be co-hosts Tim Kash and La La Vazquez. The pre-show will also be available on CriticsChoice.VH1.com.
