The "Charlie LeSueur Award", will be presented to a different person every year, that shared Charlie's passion for westerns. He always encouraged others to love and respect westerns and the western lifestyle.
This award should go to someone that's done outstanding work, craftsmanship, or helped others keep westerns alive. Or maybe a filmmaker, writer, or someone that's done research on a movie, TV show, book, documentary, screenplay or film with the most accurate depiction of Western history. This person will be chosen annually by various committee members and sponsors associated with TWBFF.
The 2023 recipient of this very special award ("CLA") will be announced and presented during TWBFF at the Galaxy Theatres in Tucson!
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"CLA" RECIPIENT FOR 2023 IS NICK PERNOKAS
"CLA" RECIPIENT FOR 2022 IS MANUELA SCHNEIDER
R.I.P. Charlie LeSueur (01/22/1951 - 11/10/2019)
Charlie was "The Wild Bunch Film Festival" emcee from 2017 through 2019 and he'll be missed by us all.
He was Arizona's Official Western Film Historian and emcee/moderator for several celebrity Q & A panels throughout the USA.
His reputation became well known and he earned the title of, "The Human Encyclopedia," by Buck Taylor of Gunsmoke fame.
His "boot prints" have been placed in cement and installed on the Apacheland Wall of Fame alongside prints of western stars who had once filmed there like, Peter Brown, Robert Fuller, Richard Boone and Ronald Reagan. The wall is located at the Superstition Mountain Museum in Apache Junction, Arizona where the remaining buildings from the movie location reside.
Charlie also has several published books including the "Riding the Hollywood Trail" series on western film and television history, as well as the stars.
Dawn LeSueur shown below, presented Mark Baugher with the first 2020 Charlie LeSueur Award.
After receiving it, Mark gave it back to Dawn LeSueur, so it could stay in the LeSueur family.
TWBFF relies on Donations EVERY YEAR for this PRESTIGIOUS AWARD that is presented at the award show. If you feel inclined, please HELP! Everything is appreciated no matter the size! Thank you!
9th Annual Int'l
Photo credit by Lewis Smith
Nick Pernokas - Winner of 2023
Manuela Schneider - Winner of 2024
