Name: George Eastman Award Ceremony & Gala: Rita Moreno
Start: 2025-10-29T20:00:00-04:00
End: 2025-10-29T23:00:00-04:00
Location: 900 East Avenue Rochester, NY 14607

George Eastman Award Ceremony & Gala: Rita Moreno

The George Eastman Museum will honor actress Rita Moreno with the George Eastman Award for distinguished contribution to the art of cinema on Wednesday, October 29 at 8 p.m. in the Dryden Theatre.
For her breakthrough performance, Moreno received an Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, portraying Anita in West Side Story (Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, 1961). In 1977, she became the third artist to have received competitive Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony awards (EGOT). Moreno received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States, from President George W. Bush; the National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama; the Screen Actors Lifetime Achievement Award; the Kennedy Center Honor for her lifetime contributions to American culture; and the Peabody Career Achievement Award.
The George Eastman Award was established in 1955 as the first award to recognize the enduring artistic value of the oeuvre of a film actor, director, or cinematographer. In receiving the award, Moreno joins an elite group of film artists, including Lauren Bacall, Louise Brooks, Charlie Chaplin, Gary Cooper, Cecil B. DeMille, Michael Douglas, Greta Garbo, Lillian Gish, Audrey Hepburn, Michael Keaton, Gregory Peck, Mary Pickford, Julia Roberts, Martin Scorsese, James Stewart, Meryl Streep, and Gloria Swanson.
The award ceremony and gala will be open to the public, with ticket sales beginning on September 17. The ceremony will feature an appreciation of Moreno's career by Peter Bagrov, senior curator, Moving Image Department, a compilation of highlights of her work, and an on-stage conversation with Moreno—to be followed by the celebratory gala in the museum.
Members of the George Eastman Museum will have access to advance ticket sales, beginning on Wednesday, September 10 at 10 a.m. To become a member of the George Eastman Museum, visit eastman.org/membership or call (585) 327-4833 for information. Any remaining tickets go on sale to the general public on Wednesday, September 17 at 10 a.m.
All ticket levels include reserved seating for the award ceremony, admittance to the celebratory gala, and valet parking. Ticket prices are determined by seat location for the ceremony in the Dryden Theatre.