Ben Pawlowski
CATE Blanchett said it was an ‘honour’ to receive the Donostia Lifetime Achievement Award at the 72nd edition of the San Sebastian International Film Festival as she was praised by peers for her distinguished acting career.
Wearing an ornate gold-gilded gown and sporting her trademark blonde bob, the Australian actress, 55, took to the stage to receive the accolade from Alfonso Cuaron, the acclaimed Mexican filmmaker with whom Blanchett recently collaborated for the Apple TV+ miniseries Disclaimer.
She was then played a video message from her good friend and long-term collaborator, the American actor George Clooney.
Speaking from the Venice Film Festival where he was promoting a film, Clooney said ‘I want to say that there’s acting as a profession, and then there’s acting as an art’, before ranking Blanchett alongside esteemed filmstars including Marlon Brando, Catherine Hepburn, Meryl Streep and Robert de Niro.
He added: “I’ve been lucky enough to direct you and to act with you. And you always make everyone around you feel lucky that we get a chance to work with someone who is so gifted. And I’m proud to call you a friend”.
In an emotional speech, Blanchett spoke about her career in acting and the honour of being able to travel around the world.
She said: “As an Australian working abroad, I’ve had the privilege of transcending many borders. Here, in the Basque Country, at this extraordinarily vibrant festival that itself transcends cultural, regional and international borders, it feels like a real homecoming. I am very honoured”.
Following her speech, the audience were greeted to a screening of Rumours, one of her latest flicks, directed by Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson and Galen Johnson.
Blanchett boasts more than 200 acknowledgements and awards from her illustrious acting career, including two Oscars, six further nominations, four BAFTAs, four Golden Globes and an International Goya.
She has collaborated with several celebrated directors, including Martin Scorcese, Steven Sielberg, Ridley Scott, Wes Anderson, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Woody Allen, Peter Jackson, Alfonso Cuaron and Guillermo del Toro.
The Donostia Award was created in 1986 and is given to a number of actors and filmmakers every year at the San Sebastian International Film Festival – it is named after Donostia, the Basque name for San Sebastian, the coastal city where the ceremony is held.
Previous recipients of the accolade include Gregory Peck, Al Pacino, Anthony Hopkins, Michael Caine, Robert de Niro, Francis Ford Coppola, Antonio Banderas, Benicio del Toro and Johnny Depp.
This year’s recipients include Blanchett, Javier Bardem, who was announced for the 2023 edition but postponed his ceremony in the wake of the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, and Pedro Almodovar, the Spanish film director.
