The Los Angeles Film Critics Association has chosen French writer-director Claire Denis as the recipient of this year’s Career Achievement Award, the organization announced Wednesday. LAFCA’s first in-person awards ceremony in three years will be held on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023.
“We are thrilled to be honoring Claire Denis, one of the best living film auteurs and a master at depicting the identity crises faced by both the colonizer and the colonized,” said LAFCA president Claudia Puig in a statement. “A distinctive sociopolitical point of view and anti-patriarchal sensibility infuse her work, which is deeply evocative — often tender and intimate but never sentimental — and always uncompromising.”
Denis’ film “Stars at Noon” – starring Margaret Qualley, Joe Alwyn and Robert Pattinson – won the second-place Grand Prix award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. In February, Denis was awarded Venice’s Silver Bear for Best Director for the film “Both Sides of the Blade,” which starred Juliette Binoche and “Titane” star Vincent Lindon.
Denis made her film debut in 1988 with the Cameroon-set “Chocolat,” and has gone to make acclaimed films including “Beau Travail” (1999), “Trouble Every Day” (2000), “White Material” (2009), and sci-fi film “High Life” (2018). Her 1996 drama “Nénette and Boni” also won the Golden Leopard at the Locarno International Film Festival.
Winners for this year’s competitive awards will be announced on Dec. 11. This year, LAFCA will introduce gender-neutral acting categories, with two awards for Best Lead Performance and two awards for Best Supporting Performance. Other award categories include New Generation and the Douglas Edwards Experimental Film Award.
