MUMBAI: Highlighting entertainment industry professionals whose life and work is a force for positive world change, the Tahoe-Reno International Film Festival (T-RIFF) announced it will honour actor Melissa Joan Hart at this years festival. Hart will be recognized for her conscious TV and film career during the past three decades.

On Saturday, at 5:30 p.m. in the Alpine Showroom, at the Resort at Squaw Creek, the festival will pay tribute to her career. The short film she directed, Mute, will be screened that evening at 10:30 p.m. as part of the Thriller Series. Perhaps best known for her starring role on Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (1996-2003), Hart has had a full career in television, film and on the Broadway stage since she began acting at age four.

“I am excited about participating in this year’s festival and appreciate being recognized for my positive, family oriented approach to entertainment,” says Hart, an actress, singer, and Vice President of Hartbreak Films, a production company she runs with her mother.

“After being offered many inappropriate film and television roles as a teenager, my mom and I created our own production company. This step helped me to focus on family friendly and socially conscious entertainment projects.”

Now a young mother herself, her first child was born in January of this year, Hart is even more aware of the importance to produce television shows and film that teaches or empowers people while entertaining them.

Frederick Levy will host the tribute event. Levy, a board member of T-RIFF, guides the careers of actors, authors, screenwriters, and directors as the president of Management 101. Levy also develops and produces film and television, and has written four books about the entertainment industry, including The Hollywood Way.

The Tahoe/Reno International Film Festival (T-RIFF) offers a unique film festival experience that educates, touches hearts, inspires ideas, and connects audiences to the joy deep within their souls for film lovers from around the world.