Cate Blanchett to Receive British Film Institute Fellowship

Cate Blanchett is to receive the British Film Institute’s highest honor, the BFI Fellowship, at the BFI London Film Festival’s awards ceremony on Oct. 17 at London’s Banqueting House.

“Truth,” starring Blanchett and Robert Redford, will have its U.K. premiere on the same night. Based on the book “Truth and Duty” by Mary Mapes, the film tells the story of Mapes, a CBS News journalist and Dan Rather’s “60 Minutes” producer, and the risks she took to expose a story about President George W. Bush.

Greg Dyke, chairman of the BFI, said: “Cate Blanchett is a compelling and brave actress whose mesmerizing screen presence has captivated audiences since her earliest roles. We are absolutely delighted to honor her extraordinary talents with a BFI Fellowship at this year’s LFF awards.”

The Fellowship is awarded to individuals in recognition of their “outstanding contribution to film or television.” The BFI described her as a “fearless and subtle actress,” adding, “She has the rare gift of seeming utterly to inhabit the characters she plays and has an amazing ability to convey complex layers of emotion to stunning effect.”

Blanchett also appears at the festival in Todd Haynes’ “Carol,” which is the American Express Gala screening on Oct. 14. She plays an alluring woman trapped in a loveless marriage who falls for a young woman, played by Rooney Mara, working as a department store clerk in 1950s Manhattan. Blanchett won a Golden Globe for her performance in Haynes’ “I’m Not There,” in which she plays an incarnation of Bob Dylan.

Previous BFI Fellowships at the same LFF ceremony have been presented to Stephen Frears in 2014, the late Christopher Lee in 2013, Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter in 2012, and Ralph Fiennes in 2011. In the past year, Al Pacino and Mel Brooks were also awarded BFI Fellowships.

Via Variety