Julianne Moore is set to be honored with the Golden Icon Award at the 22nd Zurich Film Festival.
The U.S. actress will accept the accolade alongside Jesse Eisenberg, who directs her in his latest feature The Debut, a musical-comedy co-starring Paul Giamatti.
Over a career now spanning more than three decades, Moore has worked with some of the most distinguished directors in contemporary cinema including Robert Altman (Short Cuts), Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie Nights, Magnolia), brothers Joel and Ethan Coen (The Big Lebowski) and Todd Haynes (Safe, Far From Heaven, May December).
At this year’s Zurich Film Fest, Moore will be given the lifetime achievement award in recognition for her career and recent starring role in The Debut, which is screening at the festival. The movie follows Mona Friedman (Moore), who is cast in a bit part at a small community theater and transforms from a shy, unassuming housewife into a zealous method actor willing to do anything to protect the artistic integrity of her marginal role — even if it means waging war against the show’s domineering director (Giamatti).
“Julianne Moore is one of the outstanding character actresses of American cinema,” said Christian Jungen, CEO of the Zurich Film Festival. “She possesses remarkable versatility and, time and again, manages to captivate us with her intense portrayals of the characters she plays. No matter which film we see her in, we find ourselves rooting for her characters.”
“In the wonderful film The Debut, she delivers a brilliant performance as a woman who realizes it’s not too late to fulfill her deeply personal dream: becoming an actress,” he continued. “It is Julianne Moore’s love letter to her own profession — and thus the perfect film with which to thank her, with our Golden Icon Award, for so many wonderful cinematic experiences.”
Among Moore’s best-known performances are Still Alice, for which she won an Oscar, as well as The Hours and The Kids Are All Right. Recent credits include Apple TV’s Echo Valley, Pedro Almodovar’s The Room Next Door and Netflix limited series Sirens. Next year, she will return to the stage to star in the title role of the Off-Broadway play Faydra. Beyond her acting, Moore is a New York Times bestselling children’s author of the Freckleface Strawberry series and the founding chair of Everytown for Gun Safety’s Creative Council, where she advocates for ending gun violence in America.
Past recipients of Zurich’s Golden Icon Award include Kate Winslet, Sylvester Stallone, and Sharon Stone. The 22nd edition runs Sep. 24-Oct. 4.
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