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©Nick Haddow
Academy, BAFTA, Golden Globe, and Emmy Award-winning Emma Thompson is one of the UK’s most recognizable and beloved actors, with a career in acting, writing, and producing that spans both television and film – from independent features to major blockbusters. She is the only person in the history of the Academy Awards to have won for both acting and screenwriting. Thompson’s willingness to take risks with her roles has meant that she has remained a vital force on stage and screen for four decades, a testament to the depth of affection multiple generations of fans hold for her.
Thompson’s most notable roles include Howards End (1992), The Remains of the Day (1993), Sense and Sensibility (1996), Angels in America (2003), the Harry Potter series (2003-2011), Love Actually (2003), Nanny McPhee (2005), Saving Mr. Banks (2013), Years and Years (2019), Cruella (2021), Matilda the Musical (2022), and recently in the acclaimed drama Good Luck to You, Leo Grande (2022). In Locarno, she will attend the world premiere of the much anticipated thriller The Dead of Winter by Brian Kirk – produced by Stampede Ventures and augenschein – which she also executive produced, on the evening she receives her award – Friday, August 8.
Giona A. Nazzaro, Artistic Director: “Emma Thompson embodies the best of a tradition of performers who continue to be able to infuse each role with the deepest knowledge about the actor’s work. Working with writers as exceptional as she herself is, fearlessly tackling ever-changing registers and characters, moving from Shakespeare to James Ivory, from the magic of Harry Potter to the transformations of Nanny McPhee, she has continued to surprise audiences over a career that has earned her numerous awards, including two Oscars, two Golden Globes, three BAFTAs, a Golden Lion, and an Emmy. Honoring the talent of a performer as brilliant and multifaceted as Emma Thompson with the Leopard Club Award is due recognition of an artist who has moved us, made us think, entertained us and, most importantly, never ceased to surprise us.”
The Leopard Club, the official supporting association of the Locarno Film Festival, presents the Leopard Club Award each year to an individual whose work in the film industry has left its mark on the collective imagination. Among the stars who have received this prestigious award are Faye Dunaway, Mia Farrow, Andy García, Stefania Sandrelli, Adrien Brody, Meg Ryan, Hilary Swank, Kasia Smutniak, Daisy Edgar-Jones, and Irène Jacob.
The 78th edition of the Locarno Film Festival will take place from 6-16 August 2025.