Michael B. Jordan to Receive MFF Rainmaker Award

Michael B. Jordan in Los Angeles. Courtesy photo.

Michael B. Jordan will receive the 2016 Maui Film Festival Rainmaker Award, announced Barry Rivers, founder and director of the festival.

The Rainmaker Award “honors a film artist for having the mysteriously magical ability to profoundly and positively impact the creative dynamics of every project they are involved in both on the set and on the screen.”

The festival will be held June 15 through 19, 2016, at the Wailea Resort in Maui. The award will be presented at the Celestial Cinema located at the Wailea Gold & Emerald Golf Course on June 16.

“Michael B. Jordan’s lead roles in ‘Fruitvale Station’ and ‘Creed’ knocked me out!” said Rivers. “Viewed alongside his other exemplary performances, on screens large and small, it is clear that Michael is talented beyond words and more than worthy of the admiration and deep respect from anyone who loves storytelling. Michael B. Jordan is the real deal and we’re thrilled to honor him at this year’s event.”

Jordan was last seen in Ryan Coogler’s highly acclaimed Creed, starring alongside Sylvester Stallone and Tessa Thompson.

In 2015, Jordan starred in a new version of Fantastic Four, playing the role of Johnny Storm, aka The Human Torch, opposite Miles Teller, Jamie Bell and Kate Mara.

He has previously starred in Chronicle, That Awkward Moment opposite Zac Efron and Miles Teller, and the George Lucas-produced film Redtails.

Jordan successfully took on his first major leading film role when he starred as Oscar Grant in Ryan Coodler’s Fruitvale Station. The cast included Octavia Spencer and Melonie Diaz, and was produced by Forest Whitaker. It premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, where it received the “Grand Jury Prize” and “Audience Award for U.S. Dramatic Film.”

Fruitvale Station has garnered many awards, including “Best First Feature” at the 2014 Independent Spirit Awards, “Outstanding Independent Motion Picture” at the 2014 NAACP Image Awards and the “2014 Stanley Kramer Award” from the Producer’s Guild of America.

The 2013 New York Film Critics Circle honored Fruitvale Station with “Best First Film” and the picture was also chosen as one of the “Top Ten Films” at the 2013 National Board of Review Awards, where Jordan took home the award for “Breakthrough Actor.”

He also won the 2013 Gotham Award for “Breakthrough Actor” and was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for “Best Lead Actor.”

Jordan has also starred in three of the most critically celebrated television dramas of the past decade. First, Jordan played the hard-shelled but softhearted ‘Wallace’ in HBO’s dramatic hit series “The Wire”. He then went on to star as quarterback ‘Vince Howard’ on “Friday Night Light,” before playing recovered alcoholic, ‘Alex’, on Parenthood.”

Tickets and passes are available at www.mauifilmfestival.com.

For additional information, call the Film Festival Headquarters at (808) 579-9244.