WGA honors Kasdan

This weekend the Writers Guild Foundation will honor writer-director Lawrence Kasdan with a two-day retrospective of seven of his films at its Beverly Hills theater. In addition, Kasdan will appear Saturday after a 7 p.m. screening of 1991’s “Grand Canyon” for a Q&A; session moderated by journalist F.X. Feeney.

“I love movies,” Kasdan said. “That’s why I got into this and why I have devoted my life to it. To be in a position to make movies is a great privilege.”

Last month, the Writers Guild of America gave Kasdan its Screen Laurel Award, which recognizes a writer who “has advanced the literature of the motion picture through the years.”

A four-time Oscar nominee and a six-time WGA nominee -- he won both awards for writing, with Barbara Benedek, 1983’s “The Big Chill” (1 p.m. Sunday) -- Kasdan has written or co-written three of the most successful films of the last three decades, including “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (1 p.m. Saturday) and the “Star Wars” blockbusters “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi.”

After making a well-received directorial debut with his erotic 1981 film noir “Body Heat” (3:30 p.m. Sunday), Kasdan helmed such hits as “The Big Chill,” “Silverado” (3:30 p.m. Saturday) and “The Accidental Tourist” (10 a.m. Saturday).

A 10 a.m. Sunday screening of “Mumford” rounds out the festival, which takes place at the Writers Guild Theater, 135 S. Doheny Drive in Beverly Hills.

Tickets range from $45 for the full weekend to $7 for individual screenings. (323) 782-4692, www.wgfoundation.org.

-- Susan King