Oscar co-host, Best Actor nominee James Franco comes to BIFF!

James is on the right. Say, was that a Best Actor nomination or a Beast Actor nomination? Bear with us.

The 7^th Annual Boulder International Film Festival (BIFF) is drumming up excitement with today’s announcement that Golden Globe-winning actor James Franco will make a special appearance in the festival’s Saturday night line-up for “A Conversation with James Franco.”

One week before he co-hosts the Academy Awards with actress Anne Hathaway and vies for his own Best Actor Oscar win for his portrayal of Aron Ralston in “127 Hours,” Franco will attend a screening of his short film "The Clerk’s Tale" and receive BIFF’s Vanguard Award on Saturday evening, Feb. 19, at the Boulder Theater.

“We are delighted that James Franco is bringing his film to our festival this year,” said Kathy Beeck, BIFF co-founder and director. “James is a man of many talents, and we’re very excited to speak with him about his work and his future endeavors in the film industry.”

Franco has written and directed a number of notable films. His most recent, “The Clerk’s Tale,” premiered at Cannes in May, and will be screened during the evening’s event. The program will also include a retrospective of Franco’s work, an interview with BIFF Executive Producer of Special Events Ron Bostwick and an audience question and answer session.

Franco’s performance in the TNT biopic “James Dean” earned him career-making reviews, as well as a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture made for Television and nominations for an Emmy and Screen Actors Guild Award. His performance in “Milk” earned an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actor and he was nominated for a Golden Globe for his role in the comedy “Pineapple Express.” He is known for his starring role as Harry Osbourne in the “Spider-Man” trilogy and also recently starred in “Eat, Pray, Love” and “Date Night.”

Oscar-winning producer, director and screenwriter Oliver Stone is also scheduled to make an appearance on the closing night of the festival, Feb. 20, when he will be honored with a Master of Cinema Award.

The four-day festival, sponsored at the platinum level by 97.3 KBCO and Comcast Spotlight, will feature “A Conversation with James Franco” on Saturday, Feb. 19, 7:30 p.m. at the Boulder Theater, at 2032 14th St. Tickets for the event are $30 and are on sale now at www.biff1.com. Proceeds benefit the non-profit, year-round activities of the Colorado Film Society/BIFF.

All-access VIP passes can be purchased for $345. All tickets for BIFF films go on sale Jan. 28, and can be purchased at www.biff1.com, or by calling (303) 786-7070. For more information, please visit www.biff1.com.