Gale Anne Hurd to receive Tarzana film fest’s Edgar Rice Burroughs Legacy Award

The Tarzana International Film Festival will honor producer Gale Anne Hurd with its Edgar Rice Burroughs Legacy Award at the 2026 Closing Night Awards Gala on Oct. 4 in Tarzana, California. The festival says the award recognizes her four-decade career shaping science fiction, fantasy and adventure filmmaking across film and television.

Why it matters: - The Edgar Rice Burroughs Legacy Award spotlights work that has pushed science fiction, fantasy, adventure and imaginative storytelling forward. - Gale Anne Hurd’s career includes some of the most influential titles in genre filmmaking, giving the honor broad symbolic weight for the industry. - The award also reinforces the Tarzana International Film Festival’s identity as a genre- and storytelling-focused event.

What happened: - The Tarzana International Film Festival said Gale Anne Hurd will receive the Edgar Rice Burroughs Legacy Award during its Closing Night Awards Gala on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. - Acclaimed filmmaker Ernest Dickerson will present the award. - The festival runs Oct. 2-4, 2026, in Tarzana, California. - The 2026 festival will include screenings, filmmaker panels, networking events, celebrity appearances and the Closing Night Awards Gala.

The details: - The award is named for Edgar Rice Burroughs, creator of Tarzan, John Carter of Mars and The Land That Time Forgot. - The festival says the award honors people whose careers have advanced science fiction, fantasy, adventure and imaginative storytelling. - Hurd’s producing credits include The Terminator, Aliens, The Abyss, Tremors, Armageddon and The Incredible Hulk. - Hurd also served as executive producer of The Walking Dead, which the festival describes as a global phenomenon. - Jeff Rector, president and festival director, said Hurd’s work has inspired generations of filmmakers and audiences and mirrors Burroughs’ focus on imagination and adventure. - The Closing Night Awards Gala will be a semi-formal event with a celebrity red carpet, cocktail reception, dinner and special presentations. - Tentative guests include Dee Wallace and Phil Morris, with more guests still to be announced. - The gala will also include a tribute to Chuck Norris, presented by Sean Kanan.

Between the lines: - The festival is leaning on legacy branding to connect classic adventure storytelling with modern genre filmmaking. - Hurd fits that strategy well because her filmography spans science fiction, action and television, all central to the award’s mission. - The Chuck Norris tribute and celebrity guests suggest the gala is being positioned as a broader industry showcase, not just an awards presentation.

What's next: - The festival will continue announcing additional special guests ahead of the Oct. 4 gala. - Tickets for the 2026 Tarzana International Film Festival are available here. - Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. has sponsored the festival for the past five years, and the partnership is likely to remain part of the event’s identity. - More details about festival programming and award-night presentations should emerge before the event.

The bottom line: - Tarzana’s 2026 festival is using Gale Anne Hurd’s honor to underscore its mission: celebrating independent film through the lens of adventure, imagination and genre storytelling.