Location: Palace of Fine Arts Exhibition Center Event co-chairs: Sonya Yu and Heidi Fisher Amount raised: Almost $200,000 to support the organization’s year-round initiatives including SFFILM Education
Winslet’s Titanic director, James Cameron, made a rare decision to leave the set of his Avatar sequels to present her with the Peter J. Owens Award for Acting. Cameron called Winslet “one of the most gifted actresses, if not the most gifted actress, of her generation.” When they first met 20 years ago, “she had this disarming British accent,” he recalled. “And then she proceeded to drop F-bomb after F-bomb. I thought, ‘We are going to get along.’” Winslet then thanked Cameron for launching her career, revealing: “You’re the only one who didn’t tell me to lose weight!”
