Baldwin coming to Baldwinsville

VILLAGE OF BALDWINSVILLE – Actor Alec Baldwin will host a gala event Saturday evening, Sept. 30, at the Mohegan Manor at 58 Oswego St. in Baldwinsville, as part of the Syracuse International Film Festival’s 20th anniversary celebration.
His appearance will begin with a cocktail reception from 4 to 6:30 p.m. followed by a question-and-answer session from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. The evening will end with Baldwin being honored with the festival’s prestigious Sophia Award.
Last year, the festival’s Sophia Award was bestowed on Jeremy Garelick and Will Phelps, producing partners at the American High film company based in Liverpool.
Baldwin’s brother, actor Daniel Baldwin, was awarded a Sophia sometime prior to the pandemic, according to festival Director Michelle DeBernardo.
The Baldwins are sons of the late Carol Martineau Baldwin, who was a Syracuse native. Alec Baldwin was born in Amityville and raised in Massapequa, on Long Island.
After studying at the Actors’ Studio and graduating from New York University, he made his Broadway debut in 1986, and his film debut in 1987. Although he has excelled in dramatic roles, Baldwin also displays a rare flair for humor and parody.
Over the years, the 65-year-old actor has received numerous accolades including three Golden Globe Awards for his lead role on the NBC-TV comedy “30 Rock.” That role also won him two Prime Time Emmy Awards, and he took home a third for his satiric portrayal of President Donald Trump on “Saturday Night Live.”
He was nominated for an Academy Award for best supporting actor in 2004 for his role as a casino manager in “The Cooler.” He had also been nominated for a Tony Award for best actor for his portrayal of Stanley Kowalski in “A Streetcar Named Desire” in 1992.
Baldwin’s dramatic acting has uplifted such films as “The Hunt for Red October,” “Glengarry Glen Ross,” “The Getaway” and “The Departed.”
Several of his movies were released this year, including “97 Minutes,” a thriller in which  he stars as director of the National Security Agency dealing with a hijacked airplane which has 97 minutes before it runs out of fuel.
In October 2021, Baldwin was touched by tragedy. While filming on the set of the upcoming film “Rust,” in Santa Fe, New Mexico, he discharged a prop gun accidentally killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza.
A year later, Baldwin reached an undisclosed settlement with Hutchins’ family in their wrongful death lawsuit. In April this year, Baldwin’s lawyers announced that prosecutors had dropped charges of involuntary manslaughter against him.
Baldwin has been married twice, first to actress Kim Basinger (1993-2002) and then to yoga teacher Hilaria Thomas, whom he wed in 2012 and to whom he remains married.
Tickets for Baldwin’s appearance at Mohegan Manor are on sale through Eventbrite at $30 for Q & A and the award ceremony. It costs $75 to attend the VIP cocktail reception; additional fees may apply. Refreshments, food options, vendors and networking opportunities will also be offered throughout the event.
The 2023 Syracuse International Film Festival will kick off on Sept. 28, with screenings at venues such as the The Red House, the Tasting Room and the Palace Theater. Screenings will continue Oct. 4-7 at various venues.
The festival hosts its High School Film Competition from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Oct. 7, at Sharkey’s Event Center, at 7240 Oswego Road, just north of Liverpool. For information, visit syracusefilmfest.com.