Penn Family Receives 5th AFI Associates' Prestigious Platinum Circle Award

-----------------------------------------------------
Photos of the Event: http://www.AFI.com/Penn
Or, if you just want to see an MP photo: Penn Family Photo
(Pictured L-R: Jean Picker Firstenberg, Robin Wright Penn, Sean Penn, Eileen Ryan Penn, Chris Penn, Michael Penn, Aimee Mann, Lois Saffian)
-----------------------------------------------------

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- The AFI Associates of the American Film 
Institute presented its Platinum Circle Award to the multi-talented Penn 
family on October 1st at a lively and emotional luncheon at the Regent 
Beverly Wilshire Hotel.

Accepting the award were family mother and actress, Eileen Ryan Penn; singer 
and composer Michael Penn, his wife, Academy Award®-nominated singer and 
composer Aimee Mann; Academy Award®-winning actor Sean Penn and his wife, 
actress and producer Robin Wright Penn; and actor Chris Penn. The program 
also included a moving tribute by Martin Sheen to the Penn family patriarch, 
producer, writer, director and actor Leo Penn.

In addition to Sheen, the award presentation ceremony included tributes from 
Stockard Channing, Peter Falk, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Matt Palmieri, 
Suzanne Pleshette, and Brett Ratner.

The Platinum Circle Honorary Committee was chaired by Robert De Niro, Clint 
and Dina Eastwood, Jack Nicholson, and Martin and Janet Sheen.

Among the 600 attendees of the luncheon were Patricia Barry, Jim Caviezel, 
Benicio Del Toro, Laura Dern, Stephen Dorff, Clint Eastwood, Martin Landau, 
Mike Medavoy, Jack Nicholson, Daniel Petrie Jr., Mark Rydell, Dick Van Dyke 
and Steven Zaillian.

In celebration of the Associates' 20 year anniversary, Los Angeles Mayor 
James K. Hahn was also on hand to proclaim October 1st, 2004 "AFI Associates 
Day" in the City of Los Angeles.

Posted 11/2/04