#Tim Burton Will Be Namesake and First Recipient of New Honor at Burbank International Film Festival (Exclusive)

Tim Burton is coming home to Burbank.

The Batman, Edward Scissorhands and Beetlejuice filmmaker, who was born and raised in the city within Los Angeles County, has agreed to be the namesake and first recipient of the Burbank International Film Festival’s Tim Burton Visionary Award, which will annually recognize a local filmmaker who shows unique imagination and creativity, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

Burton, 64, will collect the honor in-person during the fest’s awards gala on Sunday, Sept. 24 — which the Burbank City Council has declared “Tim Burton Day” — at the Burbank Marriott Convention Center. He will subsequently sit down with yours truly for a life/career-retrospective conversation that will also be recorded for The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast.

Burton’s most recent project was the Netflix comedy series Wednedsay, on which he served as executive producer and, for four of its eight-episode first season, director, and for which he is Emmy-nominated for best comedy series and best directing for a comedy series.

“As a Burbank native myself I am pleased to be part of this year’s festival, with this new Visionary Award going to a local Burbank filmmaker who shows unique imagination and creativity,” Burton said in a statement.

Burton’s association with the festival was arranged by the fest’s president Kurt Patino and advisory board member Tony Muscio, both huge admirers of his work. Said Patino, “Tim Burton’s artistry is such an inspiration, and the team at BIFF is thrilled to have collaborated with the Burbank City Council to give Tim this deserving recognition, Tim Burton Day, and celebrate his amazing contributions to the entertainment industry, his Burbank roots and the wonderful impressions he’s made in the hearts of audiences.”