Awards 2025

THE CENTRE FILM FESTIVAL AWARDS CEREMONY

Join us for our Closing Night Ceremony honoring Penn State alums who have impacted education and the film and television industry as well as awarding filmmakers who win our jury distinctions. Our Lifetime Achievement Award recipient is award-winning television director Don Roy King. Our Chandler Living Legacy Award recipient is actress, artist and activist Jerrie Johnson. Our Keystone Visionary Award recipient is Pennsylvania Majority Caucus Secretary Senator Camera Bartolotta. The evening is co-hosted with the School of Theatre in the College of Arts and Architecture.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 16 at 6:00PM
AT THE ROWLAND THEATRE IN PHILIPSBURG, PA
Reception by Brown Dog Catering and Music by La Fiesta Band

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

The Centre Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award honors those
who have made exceptional contributions impacting the fields of film and television.

With a résumé that spans nine networks and ranges from documentaries to musicals, Don Roy King is among the most versatile and experienced directors in television. He directed more live network television than anyone in the history of the medium, with assignments taking him to twenty countries and thirty-eight states. He helmed sixteen seasons of NBC’s Saturday Night Live, earning eleven Primetime Emmys, sixteen Emmy nominations, and sixteen DGA nominations — winning seven of them. He also received two additional Emmys, one for directing The Mike Douglas Show.

As creative director for Broadway Worldwide, he brought major theatrical productions to screen, including Memphis(Emmy for Technical Direction), Smokey Joe’s Café, Putting It Together with Carol Burnett, and Jekyll & Hyde. He also directed Romeo and Juliet with Orlando Bloom and Honky at San Diego Rep — a pilot for PBS’s On Stage America. At CBS, he was creative director of CBS News and director/senior producer for The Early Show and CBS This Morning, also directing Survivor finales, Eye to Eye with Connie Chung, Bob Simon: Back to Baghdad, and The Smithsonian Anniversary Specials. He also periodically directed The View. Earlier, he directed Good Morning America for over six years and numerous Barbara Walters Specials, along with Kids Are People Too, Judgment Night: DNA for Fox, America Alive for NBC, and A War Called Peace for PBS.

As producer, director, writer, and composer, he developed series, specials, and documentaries for WCBS, WNEW, KDKA, KGSC, and WPSX — where his broadcasting career began. A graduate of The Pennsylvania State University, he was honored with an Alumni Fellowship in 2001 and a Distinguished Alumni Award in 2017

CHANDLER LIVING LEGACY AWARD

Named for Curt and Stacie Chandler, the Chandler Living Legacy Award honors
an exemplary Pennsylvania native or Penn State alum impacting the fields of film and television.

Jerrie Johnson is an award-winning actor, writer, and creative force whose work lives at the intersection of artistry, activism, and radical joy. Best known for their breakout role as Tye in Amazon Prime’s Harlem, Johnson has captivated audiences with performances that are at once audacious, vulnerable, and deeply human.

Their creative work continues to expand across mediums: their short film Moonluck Wonton is currently on the festival circuit, while their newest short, Elixir, is in development. Johnson is also reimagining their acclaimed solo show for a 2026 tour. As an author, they penned a juicing book that blends wellness and storytelling, reflecting their belief that healing and creativity go hand in hand.

A graduate of Penn State University and the American Conservatory Theater MFA program and alum of the School of Theatre in the College of Arts and Architecture, Johnson has brought their craft to Broadway-caliber stages, acclaimed television, and independent film. Beyond performance, they are the founder of Earth Food Goddess Inc. and The AI Collective, platforms that merge storytelling, wellness, and community building.

Honored as a Legacy Award winner for their dedication to reshaping culture through truth-telling and imagination, Johnson continues to invite audiences into deeper connection with themselves and one another. Their artistry is not only entertainment but also a call to expand what is possible—for our bodies, our communities, and our future.

KEYSTONE VISIONARY AWARD

Sen. Camera Bartolotta brings an entrepreneurial spirit and a wealth of real-world experience to her job representing residents of Beaver, Greene and Washington counties. A longtime resident of Monongahela, she was elected to her first term representing the 46th Senatorial District in 2014 and was re-elected in 2018 and 2022. She currently serves as part of the Senate Republican Leadership team as Majority Caucus Secretary.

During her time in the Senate, Camera has authored many new laws, including measures to allow first responders to access workers’ compensation benefits for a post-traumatic stress injury; help judges keep the most dangerous domestic violence offenders behind bars; relocate victims of domestic violence who live in public housing; improve the availability of job training programs throughout the state; ease strain on farmers and food supply; provide additional resources to support fire and EMS companies impacted by COVID-19; preserve access to ventilator and tracheostomy care by dedicating additional Medicaid funding; protect Pennsylvania’s fresh water supplies by ensuring the safe use of treated mine water in oil and gas operations; authorize the operation of Transportation Network Companies like Uber and Lyft in all 67 counties; strengthen penalties for motorists who injure workers and emergency responders in construction zones; and strengthen and improve the state’s School Bus Stop Arm Camera Law. She also introduced a proposed amendment to the Pennsylvania Constitution to limit the future growth in state government spending and protect taxpayers.

Camera also led efforts in the Senate to help more Pennsylvanians benefit from the state’s Clean Slate law and allow homeless individuals to receive free photo identification – breaking down major barriers to employment and financial independence.