The Santa Fe International Film Festival will recognize Pam Grier with the organization’s Lifetime Achievement Award for 2026, TheWrap has exclusively learned. The award will be bestowed upon Grier at an Oct. 17 ceremony at the Lensic Performing Arts Center in Santa Fe, N. Mex.
“To be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award for sharing my gifts is profoundly meaningful,” Grier said in a statement.
Last year, this recognition went to Edward James Olmos. Past recipients of SFIFF’s Lifetime Achievement Award include Tantoo Cardinal, Bryan Cranston, Catherine Hardwicke, Sterlin Harjo, Shirley MacLaine, Godfrey Reggio, Jay Roach, Gena Rowlands, John Sayles and Oliver Stone.
“Pam Grier is the definition of a leading lady, her charm, grace and ability is unmatched,” Liesette Bailey, SFIFF executive director, said in a statement. “Her groundbreaking career has created a catalyst of opportunity for actresses in the industry, changing the way that roles for women have been envisioned by Hollywood writers, directors and the actresses who bring these characters to life on screen.”
Grier got her start on the screen in the exploitation films and B movies of the 1970s, with early credits in features from figures like Roger Corman and Jack Hill, including “The Big Doll House” and “The Big Bird Cage.” She would later have her breakthrough roles in projects like “Coffy” and “Foxy Brown.”
One of Grier’s most notable performances came in Quentin Tarantino’s “Jackie Brown,” where she played the titular character in the film based on Elmore Leonard’s novel “Rum Punch.” This role brought her nominations at the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Other credits from Grier include “Sheba, Baby,” “Something Wicked This Way Comes,” “Escape From L.A.,” “Mars Attacks,” “Jawbreaker” and “The L Word.” Grier has been nominated by the NAACP for 10 Image Awards across her career.
It’s worth noting that Grier, like Edward James Olmos last year, has no cinematic projects currently slated for the remainder of 2026. This sets the SFIFF recognition apart from many other honorary film festival awards, which often recognize actors who are more explicitly on the awards trail for that year.
The post Pam Grier to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award at Santa Fe International Film Festival | Exclusive appeared first on TheWrap.
