Variety Veteran Steven Gaydos Saluted as a ‘Renaissance Man’ of Movies and Journalism by Filming Italy Los Angeles

Variety veteran Steven Gaydos was hailed as a “Renaissance man” of movies and journalism as he received career achievement honors from the Filming Italy Los Angeles festival, supported by the Italian Cultural Institue arm of Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

Gaydos, who is Variety‘s VP and executive editor of features, was feted Feb. 21 at the closing night of the 10th annual Filming Italy Los Angeles gathering. Actor Alessandro Nivola (“The Brutalist,” “American Hustle”) was on hand to present the laurel to Gaydos, whose career has blended journalism and screenwriting over the years. He’s long been a booster of international film in general and European filmmakers in particular through his work at Variety and association with numerous festivals, including Filming Italy Los Angeles and its founder, Tiziana Rocca.

Nivola introduced Gaydos to the crowd at the Harmony Gold theater in Hollywood as “a Renaissance man.”

“Few people have straddled both sides of the divide between those who create art and those who critique art as successfully as Steven Gaydos has as a journalist,” Nivola said.

Gaydos is known for his collaborations with revered director Monte Hellman on 2010’s “Road to Nowhere” and 1988’s “Iguana.” His most recently co-wrote “Heart Strings,” the 2024 indie drama from helmer Ate de Jong set against the backdrop of country music and reality TV. At Variety, he oversees the features department that produces more than 200 annual special reports, impact lists, 10 to Watch sections, festival show dailies, awards extra editions and more.

Gaydos told the enthusiastic crowd that he had been “nurtured by European cinema” as a writer and filmmaker.

“It’s not just entertainment. Movies grow us and make us human and help us be human,” Gaydos said. “No one has done that better than European filmmakers and the Italians. We’ll talk about it over pasta sometime. Thank you so much. I’m so grateful.”

In 2021, Gaydos was named a chevalier/knight by France’s Ministry of Culture in recognition of his long career in entertainment.

(Pictured: Steven Gaydos and Filming Italy Los Angeles’ Tiziana Rocca)