Dallas VideoFest is proud to reveal comedian, writer, producer, and musician Fred Armisen as this year’s recipient of the coveted annual Ernie Kovacs Award at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov.22, at the historic Texas Theatre (231 W. Jefferson Blvd. – Oak Cliff, Dallas). A curated selection of Armisen’s TV work will screen after the presentation. Tickets available at VideoFest.org.
The weekend long celebration of the groundbreaking work of Ernie Kovacs and his legacy begins the evening prior on Friday, Nov. 21, at 7:30 pm, also at the Texas Theatre, with a screening of Buster Keaton’s The Cameraman (1928), accompanied live by silent film accompanist Ben Model, archivist/historian for the Ernie Kovacs Television collection. Also screening that night will be Kovacs’ own silent Baseball Film short.
“I am absolutely honored to be a part of Ernie Kovacs’ world in any way,” said comedian Fred Armisen.
“The very first program of our festival in 1987 featured Edie Adams (Ernie’s wife and creative partner) talking about the work of Ernie Kovacs,” said Bart Weiss, founder/artistic director of Dallas VideoFest. “Ernie’s innovative spirit has been with us these 38 years. The Ernie Kovacs Award celebrates those who, much like Kovacs, redefine TV and video as an art form. His comedy constantly bends form, defies expectations, and reimagines how we experience performance and television.”
“Fred Armisen’s unique, off-the-wall comedy is rooted in Ernie Kovacs whacked out characters, snippets of music, bizarre sounds, terminally clueless alter egos and eccentric weirdos,” said Joshua Mills of Ediad Productions, which runs the estate of Ernie Kovacs. “His humor is rooted in cockeyed yet lovable eccentrics, just like the comedy of Ernie Kovacs, which is why he’s so deserving of the 2025 Ernie Kovacs award.”
The Ernie Kovacs Award events coincide with the tragic anniversary of the assassination of former President John F. Kennedy in Dallas on Nov. 22 in 1963. The Texas Theatre, where both weekend events are held, is also the location of the apprehension of assassin Lee Harvey Oswald.
ERNIE KOVACS AWARD WEEKEND PASSES & PACKAGES WITH FRED ARMISEN
$23.50 — Friday night: The Cameraman with Ben Model
$28.75 — Saturday night: Fred Armisen Kovacs Award presentation & Screening
$30 — Fred Armisen album 100 Sound Effects
$75 — Both nights with VIP reception
$100 — Both nights with VIP reception + Fred Armisen album 100 Sound Effects Record
Fred Armisen is a comedian, writer, producer, and musician whose career began in the Chicago-based post-punk band Trenchmouth and with the Blue Man Group.
An 11-season veteran of Saturday Night Live, Armisen co-wrote and co-starred in IFC’s Emmy®-nominated series Portlandia, created with Carrie Brownstein; co-wrote, co-starred in, and executive produced HBO’s acclaimed Spanish-language series Los Espookys; and co-wrote, co-starred in, and produced IFC’s celebrated parody anthology Documentary Now.
Currently, he stars in season 2 of Netflix’s Wednesday and voices Elliot Birch in the eighth and final season of Big Mouth. In film, he recently voiced a character in The Super Mario Bros. Movie and appeared in Judd Apatow’s The Bubble. On stage, he tours his innovative live show “Comedy For Musicians But Everyone Is Welcome” and recently completed his Broadway debut in All In: Comedy About Love.
From 2014 to 2024, Armisen served as bandleader for the 8G Band on NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers. This fall, Armisen adds a new chapter with the release of his record, 100 Sound Effects. This playful and experimental audio project blends humor and sound in ways that nod to Kovacs’ own absurdist sensibility.
ABOUT THE ERNIE KOVACS AWARD
The Ernie Kovacs Award honors the career and creative achievements of television’s greatest visionaries. Kovacs’ groundbreaking work in the 1950s and early 1960s captured the essence of innovation and elevated television’s artistic possibilities.
The Dallas VideoFest and the Video Association of Dallas introduced the first Kovacs Award at the 1997 festival. Comedian Joel Hodgson of Mystery Science Theater 3000 was the inaugural recipient. Subsequent honorees have included Al Franken, Terry Gilliam and John Cleese (Monty Python), Robert Smigel, Paul “Pee-wee Herman” Reubens, Martin Mull, Mike Judge, George Schlatter, Harry Shearer, Michael Nesmith, Dave Foley and Kevin McDonald (Kids in the Hall), Amy Sedaris, and last year’s awardee, Gerald Casale of DEVO.
Actress and Ernie Kovacs’ wife and creative partner, Edie Adams, hosted the award annually until her passing in 2008. Today, her son Joshua Mills oversees Ediad Productions, preserving the legacies of Ernie Kovacs and Edie Adams.
Dallas VideoFest is one of the longest-running festivals celebrating the art and innovation of video and media. Founded in 1987 by Bart Weiss, the festival showcases experimental, documentary, and narrative works from both emerging and established artists. In addition to screenings, panels, and workshops, Dallas VideoFest honors visionaries in television and video through the Ernie Kovacs Award, recognizing creators who push the boundaries of storytelling, comedy, and visual media. For more information, visit VideoFest.org.