Javi Zubizarreta, a Notre Dame student in the Department of Film, Television, and Theatre, has won a 2010 Princess Grace Award from the Princess Grace Foundation-USA (PGF-USA). He will also receive the PGF-USA Cary Grant Film Award, which is bestowed on only one filmmaker each year. Named in honor of the actor’s artistry and his friendship with Princess Grace (Kelly) of Monaco, the award represents the foundation’s high regard for Zubizarreta’s work and dedication to film.
Zubizarreta is a senior film major and honors student. He is the only undergraduate student among the six filmmakers who are receiving awards this year. He will use his grant to produce a film vignette about the lives of two Basque shepherds, one old and one young. A third-generation Basque-American from Boise, Idaho, Zubizarreta is passionate about preserving and disseminating the culture and lifestyles of the Basque region of Northern Spain. He has published in Film Matters magazine, produced various short films, and has worked as a videographer, researcher, and editor for Idaho Public Television.
The PGF-USA awards for theatre, film, and dance and choreography continue the legacy of Princess Grace, who anonymously helped emerging artists. This year’s award winners represent 18 states around the country. The winners will be honored in New York City in November at the annual black-tie Princess Grace Awards Gala, held in the presence of the Princess of Hanover.
The PGF-USA, a public charity, was formed after the death of Princess Grace in 1982. It awards scholarships, apprenticeships, and fellowships to assist artists at the start of their careers. The foundation has cultivated a diverse group of nearly 500 artists who continue to advance the spectrum of performing arts with innovative and vibrant theatre, dance, choreography, film, playwriting, and design. Since the foundation’s inception, it has presented more than 650 awards totaling more than $7 million.
