Oscar-winning actress Susan Sarandon will be the guest of honor of the 19th Lucca Film Festival, where she will be presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award on September 28. She will also participate in a masterclass, and a Puccini music concert on the 29th. Prior to the concert, Ms. Sarandon will receive the Lucca Medal of Merit and the key of neighboring Coreglia Antelminelli in honor of her Tuscan heritage.
Oscar-winning actress Susan Sarandon will be one of the guests of honour of the 19th edition of the Lucca Film Festival 2023, held from September 23 to October 1, 2023. The festival is one of the main flagship events of the Italian cultural scene, chaired by Nicola Borrelli and sponsored by the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Lucca. Banca Generali Private Wealth Management (Paolo Tacchi) and Banca Pictet. The American actress will be awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award on September 28 at the Astra Cinema, and take part in a master class on the afternoon of September 29, at the Church of San Francesco. The talk will be open to the public and moderated by Thomas De La Cal, director of the International Film Festival Agency. Ms. Sarandon will also attend a special concert that evening at the Piazza della Cittadella, given by the Orchestra of the L. Boccherini Conservatory, and featuring works by Giacomo Puccini. Prior to the concert, she will receive the Medal of honor of the city of Lucca and the keys of neighboring Coreglia Antelminelli in tribute to her Tuscan roots.
The extremely versatile Susan Sarandon brings her own brand of sex appeal and intelligence to every role – from her fearless portrayal of Annie Savoy in “Bull Durham” to her Oscar®-nominated performances in “Thelma & Louise“, “Lorenzo’s Oil“, “The Client“, and “Atlantic City” to her Academy Award®-winning and SAG® Award-winning role as Sister Helen, a nun consoling a death-row inmate in “Dead Man Walking“.
Sarandon made her acting debut in the movie “Joe” in 1970, which she followed with a continuing role in the TV drama “A World Apart“. Early film credits include “The Great Waldo Pepper“, “Lovin’ Molly“, Billy Wilder’s “The Front Page“, the 1975 cult classic “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” and Louis Malle’s “Pretty Baby“. She went on to receive her first Oscar nomination in Malle’s “Atlantic City“.
Additional film credits include “The Hunger“, “The Witches of Eastwick“, “A Dry White Season“, “White Palace“, “Light Sleeper“, “Bob Roberts“, “Little Women“, “Stepmom“, “Cradle Will Rock“, “Igby Goes Down“, “The Banger Sisters“, “Moonlight Mile“, “Shall We Dance?“, “Alfie“, “Elizabethtown“, “Romance & Cigarettes“, “Enchanted“, “The Lovely Bones“, “Jeff Who Lives at Home“, “Robot & Frank“, “Arbitrage“, “Tammy“, “The Meddler“, “Blackbird“, and “The Jesus Rolls“.
The hard-working actress has made a career of choosing diverse and challenging projects in film as well as television, having received an Emmy® and Golden Globe® Nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in Limited Series or Movie for her portrayal of Bette Davis in Ryan Murphy’s “Feud: Bette & Joan” opposite Jessica Lange in 2017. In 2008, she received an Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries for her role in the HBO film “Bernard and Doris“, as well as a Golden Globe and SAG nomination. She also received an Emmy and SAG nomination for her work in Barry Levinson’s “You Don’t Know Jack” with Al Pacino for HBO.
Sarandon has made guest appearances on “Friends“, “Malcolm in the Middle“, “ER“, “30 Rock“, “The Big C“, “Doll & Em“, “Mike & Molly“, “Search Party” and in the “Mother Lover” video on Saturday Night Live. As well as lent her voice to numerous animation projects including “The Simpsons“, “James and the Giant Peach“, “Rugrats in Paris: The Movie“, “April and the Extraordinary World“, “Hell and Back“, “Spark: A Space Tail“, “Skylanders Academy“, and “Rick and Morty“.
Most recently Sarandon plays Dottie Cantrell Roman in FOX’s musical drama “Monarch” and Victoria Kord in DC Film’s “Blue Beetle“.
An exceptional parterre will brighten the days of the festival. In addition to Sarandon, guests at the Lucca Film Festival 2023 will include the French actress Isabelle Huppert, Oscar-winning director and screenwriter Gabriele Salvatores, actor and director Kim Rossi Stuart, actress Stefania Sandrelli, director and screenwriter Mario Martone and – in collaboration with the Over the Real Festival – artists Laetitia Ky and Robert Cahen.
There are two international feature and short films competitions at the Lucca Film Festival, plus the Lucca Effetto Cinema tenth anniversary evening co-produced by the Municipality of Lucca and the Northwest Tuscany Chamber of Commerce, and the new short film competition, the Lucca Film Festival for Future, which was born directly thanks to the entry among the supporters of the festival, the Sofidel Group. An integral part of the festival, the 1980s CINEMATIC EFFECT exhibition, curated by Alessandro Orsucci, at and in collaboration with Palazzo Pfanner.
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