Washington DC [US], June 12 : American filmmaker Alexander Panyne will be honoured with the Leopard Award, Pardo d'Onore at the 78th edition of Locarno Film Festival. The event is set to take place on the night of August 15.
According to Variety, Payne will also present his films 'The Descendants' (2011) and 'Nebraska' (2013) and participate in a public discussion with the audience at the film festival.
While announcing the recipient of the Leopard Award, the Locarno Film Festival wrote, "The distinctive voice behind a slate of dryly funny modern classics, writer-director Alexander Payne has secured his place on the short list of filmmakers whose work can be said to define American cinema in the 21st century," on their Instagram handle.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DKynpWnMopG/?
According to the website of the Locarno Film Festival, Payne's films have won three Academy Awards, three BAFTAs, and eight Golden Globes in various categories.
His critically acclaimed work includes films like 'Election' (1999), 'About Schmidt' (2002), 'Sideways' (2004), 'Nebraska' (2013), and 'The Holdovers' (2023).
As per the film festival website, Payne was born in Nebraska in 1961. He studied filmmaking at UCLA. By 1996, he had written and directed the ingenious,s politically charged comedy Citizen Ruth, starring Laura Dern, which received major acclaim after premiering at Sundance.
The Pardo d'onore has existed since 2017. Over the years, the honorary Leopard award has been presented to some of the most outstanding personalities in cinema.
The 78th edition of the Locarno Film Festival will take place from August 6 to August 16.