Barbara Eden, Nancy Kwan, Lainie Kazan and Anna Maria Alberghetti to Receive Cinecon Legacy Awards
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 8/17/26 – Classic Hollywood will have the spotlight once again this Labor Day weekend as Cinecon 62 Classic Film Festival returns September 3–7, 2026, bringing five days of rare films, television treasures, special programs and celebrated performers to Los Angeles.
This year’s festival marks a significant change for Cinecon as it moves to the Landmark Nuart Theatre in West Los Angeles, the first time in the festival’s 62-year history that the Nuart will serve as its home. Located at 11272 Santa Monica Boulevard, the longtime Los Angeles movie house seems particularly well suited to an event devoted to preserving and celebrating the experience of seeing classic cinema on the big screen.
For more than six decades, Cinecon has created a gathering place for serious film lovers as well as those simply curious about Hollywood history. Archivists, collectors, authors, historians and fans come together to see movies and television programs that can be difficult, and sometimes nearly impossible, to experience anywhere else. The emphasis isn’t simply on familiar classics, but also on rediscoveries, rarities and overlooked pieces of entertainment history.
One of the highlights of Cinecon 62 will be its celebration of four remarkable women whose careers have helped shape generations of film, television and live entertainment: Barbara Eden, Nancy Kwan, Lainie Kazan and Anna Maria Alberghetti. Each will receive the Cinecon Legacy Award during the Labor Day weekend.
Barbara Eden remains one of television’s most recognizable stars, forever beloved for her title role in I Dream of Jeannie. But Eden’s career extends far beyond the famous bottle. Her film work includes Flaming Star opposite Elvis Presley, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm, 7 Faces of Dr. Lao and The Brass Bottle. Singer, actress and stage performer, Eden has enjoyed a career spanning television, film, theater and live performance. Singer and actor Pat Boone is scheduled to present Eden with her Cinecon Legacy Award.
Nancy Kwan made an indelible entrance into American movies with The World of Suzie Wong, starring opposite William Holden, before displaying both her acting and dancing talents in the landmark musical Flower Drum Song. Her career continued across American and international film, television, theater and production. Kwan will be honored at Cinecon by her cousin, bestselling Crazy Rich Asians author Kevin Kwan, who is scheduled to present her award.
Lainie Kazan has spent decades moving effortlessly between Broadway, film, television, cabaret and music. From her early days in Funny Girl to memorable screen appearances in My Favorite Year, Beaches and the My Big Fat Greek Wedding films, Kazan has built a career around a combination of comedy, drama and powerhouse musical talent. Her My Favorite Year co-star Anne De Salvo is slated to present her Legacy Award, with fellow cast member Teresa Ganzel also expected to participate.
Italian-born soprano and actress Anna Maria Alberghetti emerged as a musical prodigy, making her Carnegie Hall debut while still a teenager before moving into motion pictures. Her screen credits include The Medium, Here Comes the Groom and The Stars Are Singing. She later found tremendous success on Broadway, winning a Tony Award for Carnival. Members of the Alberghetti family are scheduled to present her Cinecon honor.
The festival will also welcome Gigi Perreau for a special presentation of the 1951 comedy Reunion in Reno. The film has been digitally scanned by Universal and prepared for its return to the big screen after a print had previously been unavailable when Perreau was honored by the festival.
The move to the Nuart brings Cinecon into one of Los Angeles’ enduring homes for adventurous moviegoing. Operated by Landmark since 1974 and extensively renovated in 2006, the single-screen theater is equipped for both 35mm and digital projection and has long been associated with independent cinema, foreign films, documentaries, animation, restorations and repertory programming.
That makes Cinecon and the Nuart a natural combination: a festival dedicated to keeping film history alive taking over a theater where people still gather to experience movies communally and on a real cinema screen.
And that may be one of Cinecon’s greatest charms. In an era when almost anything can seemingly be summoned onto a home screen, Cinecon reminds us that there is still something special about sitting in a darkened theater with fellow movie lovers and discovering a film you may never have heard of before.
It is not simply nostalgia. It is preservation, discovery and a chance to recognize the performers and filmmakers who created the foundation on which so much of today’s entertainment stands.
Cinecon 62 Classic Film Festival runs Thursday, September 3 through Monday, September 7, 2026, at the Landmark Nuart Theatre, 11272 Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles, California 90025.
Tickets: Full-festival and individual day passes are available through Eventbrite. Click here to purchase tickets.
For lovers of old Hollywood, and those ready to discover why these films still matter — Cinecon 62 offers five days to step back into the movies and experience a little classic Hollywood magic for themselves.
By Valerie Milano
