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| Jeffrey and Ben Lyons |
The San Diego Film Festival has announced today that nationally renowned film critic Jeffrey Lyons is returning as host of the 13th annual festival, with his son Ben Lyons also joining him to support with festival duties. Jeffrey Lyons, who also appeared last year, will not only host the festival but will help program individual screening titles and honorees at the awards tribute. The festival will run from September 24-28 in San Diego and La Jolla.
“We couldn’t be happier having Jeffrey back as host of this year’s festival, with his son Ben joining him again as well. Ben is a well-respected journalist with far reaching connections in the industry, and Jeffrey never fails to amaze me and our audiences with his depth of knowledge and experiences. Together they have a great dynamic that adds to the uniqueness of the festival,” said Festival Chairman Dale Strack.
Jeffrey Lyons has reviewed more than 15,000 movies, 900 Broadway and off-Broadway plays, interviewed nearly 500 actors, written or co-authored six books, co-hosted three national movie review shows on PBS, MSNBC and the NBC stations, and received two honorary degrees. In 2003, he reviewed movies with his son Ben Lyons on “MSNBC’s ‘At The Movies,’” then in 2004, he created and co-hosted “REEL TALK,” a ratings winner on all 154 NBC stations, for five years. He continues his career reviewing movies on New York radio and through national syndication on “Lyons Den” radio, and occasionally on TV.
Ben Lyons is a special correspondent on “EXTRA” and regular contributor for ESPN LA radio. He is also the lead host on Yahoo's “LIVE” movie premiere and awards show coverage. Ben reviews movies on Mario Lopez’s national radio show every week, and recently has been seen on “The View,” “The Wendy Williams Show,” ESPN's “SportsNation,” “On-Air with Ryan Seacrest” and “Good Morning America.” Ben is the grandson of legendary New York Post columnist Leonard Lyons, and is the son of film and theater critic Jeffrey Lyons.
This year, the 2014 San Diego Film Festival will launch on September 24-28, with award-winning independent films, filmmakers, actors, panels and parties. The Festival, now in its 13th year and featuring more than 100 film screenings, will be held at the Reading Theater in Downtown San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter (701 Fifth Avenue, San Diego, 92101) and ArcLight Cinemas in La Jolla (4425 La Jolla Village Dr., San Diego, 92122). It is produced by the nonprofit San Diego Film Foundation.
The San Diego Film Festival will begin announcing the film lineup on September 1. For more information, visit sdfilmfest.com.
