Tom Hanks was presented with the 2015 Trailblazer Award from Outfest UCLA Legacy Project in recognition for his Oscar-winning performance in Philadelphia 22 years ago.
“How appropriate that this event is being held in a church cause I’m now going to preach to the choir,” Hanks said in a speech that focused on the importance of preserving movies as a way for future generations to hear our stories.
“As filmmakers, we want to each tell the compelling story, but what is the point if we don’t also tell the truth,” Hanks said. “Perhaps seeing [Philadelphia] through the eyes of 2015 reveals a truth about those times; about our history, about our nation and about ourselves.”
Outfest also honored Ron Nyswaner with the Visionary Award. Nyswaner wrote the screenplay for Philadelphia as well as this year’s Freeheld starring Julianne Moore and Ellen Page.
The Outfest UCLA Legacy Project, a partnership between Outfest and UCLA Film & Television Archive, is the only program in the world exclusively dedicated to saving and protecting LGBT moving images, according to their website.
