The Hollywood Film Festival will bestow special kudos upon James Franco and Sally Hawkins as this year's breakthrough actor and actress when it bestows laurels on Oct. 27. Both appear in top Oscar-contending films: Franco as Sean Penn's lover in Gus Van Sant's "Milk" and Hawkins as an unflaggingly chirpy British schoolmarm in Mike Leigh's "Happy-Go-Lucky." "Milk" scribe Dustin Lance Black will also receive a breakthrough award.

The Hollywood Awards will also honor "Doubt" helmer and author John Patrick Shanley, "Wall-E" and director Andrew Stanton plus the visual effects supervisors of "Ironman," John Nelson and Ben Snow.

The Hollywood Awards are co-chaired by Paul Haggis ("Crash," "Million Dollar Baby") and appear to try to anticipate who'll emerge as major Oscar players every year.

They usually do a fair job, but because the kudos come so early in derby season, they can sometimes miss. Last year, for example, they choose Ellen Page ("Juno") as the breakout actress and Casey Affleck ("Gone Baby Gone," "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford") as the breakout actors of the year.

In the top races for best actor, actress and supporting actress last year, they chose, respectively, Richard Gere ("The Hunting Party," "I'm Not There"), Marion Cotillard ("La Vie en Rose") and Jennifer Connelly as best supporting actress for "Reservation Road." The Hollywood Film Festival has not announced the equivalent honorees for this year.

(Miramax)