USC Comedy Festival to Honor Filmmaker Jason Reitman
variety.comCynthia Littleton Business Editor Filmmaker and USC alumnus Jason Reitman is slated to receive the Jack Oakie and Victoria Horne Oakie Master of Comedy Award at the seventh edition of the USC Comedy Festival, set for March 28-30 at the campus.
The three-day festival aims to examine the role that comedy plays in shaping popular culture and social movements. The tribute to Reitman, the helmer behind such films as 2024’s “Saturday Night,” 2009’s “Up in the Air” and 2007’s “Juno,” will close the festival and include a Q&A on stage with film historian and critic Leonard Maltin.
USC launched the event in 2011, the same year it established the USC Comedy department with the goal of “championing comedy as a field of university study.” The festival has been held every other year since.
This year’s event includes a panel on AI’s impact in the creation of comedy (session title: “Can Comedy Be Automated?”), as well as panels on writing for late-night TV and for podcasts.
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