Multihyphenate Georgia native Danny McBride is set for a hero’s welcome when he attends the state’s Rome International Film Festival (RIFF) in November. Created in memory of late Savannah-born writer Flannery O’Connor, the award recognizes artists whose work embodies “the bold, distinctive and enduring spirit” of Southern storytelling. McBride was nominated by filmmaker and 2025 Flannery O’Connor Award recipient Jerusha Hess, with support from RIFF leadership, including Executive Creative Director Seth Ingram. Like Flannery O’Connor, Danny understands that the South is a place filled with contradictions, larger-than-life personalities, humor, heartbreak and unexpected grace. The Flannery O’Connor Award name is used with permission from the Mary Flannery O’Connor Charitable Trust.