Michelle Yeoh leads panel of award recipients at 2022 Toronto Film Festival
The management of the Toronto International Film Festival recently announced that internationally acclaimed actress Michelle Yeoh will be the recipient of the first annual Share Her Journey Groundbreaker Award.
The presentation will take place on September 11th during a gala in-person event, marking a return to live attendance after a lengthy period of Covid-cautious online festival activities.
According to TIFF representatives, the award is meant to recognise “a woman who is a leader in the film industry and has made a positive impact for women throughout their career.”
Festival CEO Cameron Bailey declared in the press release, “Michelle Yeoh is the definition of groundbreaking. Her screen work has spanned continents, genres, and decades,” pointing to her most recent release, the innovative fantasy-drama Everything Everywhere All At Once, as well as her well known early performances in popular films such as Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Crazy Rich Asians.
Yeoh has acted as Goodwill Ambassador to the United Nations in 2016, raising awareness of environmental issues, and was included in Time’s 2022 ‘Most Influential People’ list.
The award was inspired by TIFF’s Share Her Journey initiative, which was created in 2017 to address gender parity in film and to bring attention to women filmmakers who are having an impact on the film industry. Share Her Journey also raises funds to provide direct support to female filmmakers.
The Groundbreaker Award is part of the annual TIFF Tribute Awards, which will be presented at the same event. This year’s honorees include:
- Icelandic composer Hildur Gudnadottir, best known for the score for Joker, who will receive the Tiff Variety Artisan Award.
- Filmmaker and screenwriter Sally El Hosaini will be honoured with the Emerging Talent Award.
- Actor Brendan Fraser is chosen for the TIFF Tribute Award for Performance, honouring his work as the lead character in Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale.
- Oscar-winning filmmaker Sam Mendes is to receive the TIFF Ebert Director Award for his most recent film, Empire of Light, starring Olivia Colman.
- The ensemble cast of My Policeman will receive the TIFF Tribute Award for Performance.
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