EXCLUSIVE: Oscar winning actor Geoffrey Rush is the latest addition to the Taormina Film Festival lineup, and will receive the event’s Excellence Award during the 71st edition which runs June 10-14 in the hilltop Sicilian town.
Rush will also present his latest feature, The Rule of Jenny Pen, as part of the official competition selection. The psychological thriller from director James Ashcroft and co-starring John Lithgow debuted on the festival circuit last year and will make its Italian premiere in Taormina.
Rush won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1997 for Shine, and has also received three BAFTAs, two Golden Globes, a Tony Award, an Emmy Award and four Screen Actors Guild Awards, along with three additional Oscar nominations in other categories.
Tiziana Rocca, Artistic Director of the Taormina Film Festival, said: “We are honored to welcome an artist of Geoffrey Rush’s caliber to Taormina. His presence is a tribute to the greatness of acting in all its forms. His commitment, sensitivity and mastery have inspired generations of actors and audiences around the world. Presenting him with the Taormina Excellence Award is a way to celebrate a living icon of cinema and make this edition of the festival even more unforgettable.”
Rush joins such other big names who will attend Taormina this year as Martin Scorsese, Michael Douglas, Catherine Deneuve, Helen Hunt and Olivia Wilde.
The international jury will be led by Oscar-winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph, with panel support from British actor Rupert Everett, three-time Oscar-winning costume designer Sandy Powell and more. Lionsgate’s John Wick spinoff Ballerina will open the festival.
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