COMPOSER CAROL CONNORS RECEIVED THE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD AT THE 29TH ANNUAL ARPA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Westhollywoodtoday.blogspot

Hollywood CA
By Karen Ostlund 
September 28 2026


 GRAMMY NOMINATED SONGWRITER CAROL CONNORS RECEIVED THE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD AT THE 29TH ANNUAL ARPA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

 THE CAROL CONNORS DOCUMENTARY FILM “ELVIS, ROCKY AND ME: THE CAROL CONNORS STORY” SCREENED PRIOR TO HER LIFETIME AWARD  SEPTEMBER 27 AT  TCL CHINESE THEATRE. IN HOLLYWOOD.

                             

Carol Connors with director Alex Rotaru.

 Oscar, Golden Globe, Emmy and Grammy Award nominee Carol Connors received the Lifetime Achievement Award September 27, 2026, at the ARPA International Film Festival in Hollywood, CA at the TCL Chinese Theatre in the Multiplex.  The theater is located at 6801 Hollywood Blvd.

Special Celebrity Lampoon of Carol Connors Legendary Show Biz Antics included:

Barbie Benton (Singer and Playboy Legend), Diane Warren (Oscar Recipient), David Longoria (Grammy winning Musician), Maria Conchita Alonso (Music, Film, TV star), Suzan Hughes (Philanthropist), Kiki Seto (The New Adrain from I Play Rocky) Kate Linder (Young & The Restless), and
Florence LaRue (Fifth Dimension) with special appearances via video from Dionne Warwick, Pat Boone, and Joe Montegna. 

                             

Carol Connors on the red carpet among friends.

The 75 minutes documentary Elvis, Rocky and Me: The Carol Connors Story had its world premiere at the 37th Palm Springs International Film Festival on January 3, 2026, and a subsequent Los Angeles screening at the 26th annual Beverly Hills Film Festival on April 13, 2026.

The documentary Elvis, Rocky & Me: The Carol Connors Story  (2026), directed by Alex Rotaru, and  produced by Dahlia Heyman (Dia Haymon) and Chip Rosenblum. The film features the unconventional life and career of two-time Academy Award-nominated singer and songwriter Carol Connors.

At just 16 years old, Carol Connors, co-wrote and sang lead on the iconic #1 hit "To Know Him Is To Love Him" with her band The Teddy Bears, alongside bandmate Phil Spector.
She became the first woman to write a chart-topping car song with "Hey, Little Cobra" (written for Carroll Shelby, who gifted her a real Cobra) and the first woman to write a score for Disney (The Rescuers).

Carol also co-wrote the legendary theme song "Gonna Fly Now" for the film Rocky, earning an Academy Award nomination.

The film explores her deep personal relationships and interactions with major cultural figures, most notably her love affair with Elvis Presley, as well as encounters with Phil Spector's darker side, Carroll Shelby, and others.

It features interviews with figures like Talia Shire, Bill Conti, Dionne Warwick, Diane Warren, Mike Tyson, and Irwin Winkler.
Arpa International Film Festival  has been held in Hollywood, California since 1997. Arpa Film Festival is one of the oldest independent film festivals in Hollywood,  highlighting films that explore critical issues such as war, genocide, diaspora, dual identities, exile and multiculturalism. 
http://www.arpafilmfestival.com/