The Temecula Valley International Film & Music Festival recently announced that Raquel Welch, a sex symbol of the 1960s and 1970s and a current best-selling author, will be given the Icon Award at the 16th Annual festival – which will run Sept. 15 through 19. 

Welch will accept the award in an open-to-the-public, black-tie gala on closing night of the festival. 

Known for her glamour and beauty, Welch has sustained a high profile career over five decades in more than 35 films, scores of television appearances and on the stage.  

"From the moment she stepped onto the screen in ‘One Million Years, B.C.’ wearing a fur bikini, Raquel Welch has captivated the world with her beauty and charisma," said Jo Moulton, executive director of the annual festival. "She was, is, and will forever be the embodiment of that elusive quality that defines a superstar like a Marilyn Monroe, Rita Hayworth or Angelina Jolie."   

The ceremony will be held at the Pechanga Resort & Casino on the Sunday of the festival. 

In addition to honoring Welch, Career Achievement Awards will be presented to actor Eric Roberts (The Expendables, Dark Knight) for acting, and pop legend Kenny Loggins (Footloose, This is It) for music.

Music legend David Foster will present Loggins with his award. San Diego State University School of Theatre, Television and Film will be honored for their Academic Excellence in the Arts. 

The Lifetime Achievement Award recipients will be announced soon. 

Earlier this year Welch released the New York Times bestseller "Raquel: Beyond the Cleavage." 

She is the Advertisement

[ Berry-Bell and Hall Mortuary ] face and creative inspiration of the Raquel Welch Signature Collection, one of the best-selling wig lines in the world, and has been honored by the American Cancer Society for donations of more than $10 million in wigs to women undergoing chemotherapy. 

In 2008 she was named by People Magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the world. 

She has starred opposite Richard Burton, Faye Dunaway, Robin Williams, Marcello Mastroianni, Mae West, James Stewart, Reese Witherspoon, Bill Cosby, Dyan Cannon, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, James Coburn, Alicia Silverstone, Burt Reynolds, Robert Culp, Harvey Keitel, Dudley Moore and Jodie Foster and has worked with such award-winning directors as Richard Lester, Herb Ross, Stanley Donen, Garry Marshall and Blake Edwards.  

The 16th Annual Temecula Valley International Film & Music Festival is comprised of more than 150 screenings of features, documentaries and shorts from around the world. It also features a two-day music festival, film and music industry workshops, celebrity studded parties and a marketplace bazaar in the wine country.  Produced by the Cinema Entertainment Alliance, a nonprofit arts and education organization dedicated to celebrating world cinema and music, the festival has screened more than 1,500 films from more than 20 countries since 1995. 

Tickets to the awards ceremony are $100 and can be purchased at www.tviff.com or by phone at (951) 699-5514.   

A full schedule of films, workshops, concerts, lodging and more is also available on the Web site or by calling the above number.