In its 12th year, the annual LA Shorts Fest will honor legendary writer-director Shane Black with its Maverick Filmmaker Award. Best known for writing Lethal Weapon shortly after graduating from UCLA, Black quickly became one of the highest paid screenwriters in Hollywood history. When Lethal Weapon spawned three sequels and became one of the most successful film franchises, Black was commended for bringing the “buddy” action film genre back into the industry. More recently, in 2005 Black made a comeback as both writer and director of Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang—a comedic, film-noir action film starring Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer that earned critics’ praise and various awards.

Black will receive his award on the fest’s opening night, taking place on Friday, August 15th.

For more information, visit http://lashortsfest.com.