JUDD APATOW TO RECEIVE “CINEMACON® AWARD OF EXCELLENCE IN FILMMAKING”

WASHINGTON D.C. -- Writer/director/producer Judd Apatow will receive the "CinemaCon Award of Excellence in Filmmaking," it was announced today by the convention's managing director, Mitch Neuhauser. CinemaCon, the official convention of The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO), the largest and most important gathering of cinema owners and operators from around the world, will be held from April 23 - 26, 2012, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Apatow will be presented with this special honor at the "CinemaCon Big Screen Achievement Awards" ceremony to take place on Thursday evening, April 26, in The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. The Coca-Cola Company, the official presenting sponsor of CinemaCon, will host the final night's gala awards program.

"Judd Apatow has written, directed and/or produced many of this moviegoing generation's most memorable and entertaining comedies," noted Neuhauser. "With his uncanny ability to bring out the ridiculousness of many real-life situations, as well as his gift for recognizing and creating some of the most outrageous and compelling characters ever to appear on the big screen, he is sure to keep entertaining audiences for many years to come. We are thrilled to be able to present Judd with the ‘CinemaCon Award of Excellence in Filmmaking.'"

Audiences will get to experience 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 Megan Fox, John Lithgow, Iris Apatow, Maude Apatow, 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 No. 1 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." In 2011, he produced the most successful R-rated female comedy of all time, "Bridesmaids." Apatow is currently in production on the HBO series "Girls," and recently produced "The Five-Year Engagement," the new comedy from director Nicholas Stoller that will be released on April 27 by Universal.