Great news are coming out this month, Cate Blanchett is the recipient of Donostia Award from San Sebastián Film Festival, other than the award she is also featured on the festival’s official poster, created by José Luis Lanzagorta, with a photo taken by Gustavo Papaleo in 2015. She becomes the second Australian to receive the award after Hugh Jackman. Her most recent film to screen at the festival is Warwick Thornton’s THE NEW BOY last year.

The European Film Academy also announced their new members which includes Cate representing the UK/Australia.

Cate Blanchett, one of the most important actors of contemporary cinemato, will receive the Donostia Award at the 72nd edition of the Donostia Film Festival. She is also the star of the official poster. The graphic designer José Luis Lanzagorta created the poster image, based on a photograph by Gustavo Papaleo.

Blanchett has received more than 200 recognitions and awards: two Oscars (and six other nominations), two Volpi Cups at the Venice Film Festival, four BAFTAs, four Golden Globes, and honorary César and International Goya, auteur films and audiences in a long journey that combines cinema that wants to reach everyone.

We will have the Australian for the first time in Donostia, but some of her films have been screened at the Festival, such as Babel (Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Perlak, 2007) and Veronica Guerin (Joel Schumacher, Official Department, 2003; competed for the Golden Shell).

Cate Blanchett is the second Australian actress to receive the festival’s main honorary award, which was given to Hugh Jackman in 2013.

The festival introduced a new line-up of posters in 2018, headed by a figure of contemporary cinematography. Isabelle Huppert, Penélope Cruz, Willem Dafoe, Sigourney Weaver, Juliette Binoche and Javier Bardem have been the official image before Blanchett. This year, graphic designer José Luis Lanzagorta from Donostia has been responsible for creating the poster, based on a portrait by photographer Gustavo Papaleo.

The European Film Academy is proud to welcome 709 renowned film professionals as new members, who will all be eligible to vote for the European Film Awards. The names of all new members have been announced on today’s Europe Day, 9 May 2024. New members are invited once per year. After an increase in membership in the past years, a new record of 709 European filmmakers have accepted membership this year, further strengthening the voice of European cinema all over the world. 

Among the new members, 49% are women, 50% are men and 1% defines as non-binary. Most new members stem from Germany (114), Italy (58), Greece (50), the UK (50), Switzerland (37), France (36) and Poland (36), but also numerous members have joined from Spain (26), Czech Republic (26), Ukraine (24), Romania (23), and Turkey (20). In total, members from 44 countries joined the European Film Academy. 

New members of the European Film Academy include Cate Blanchett (Australia/UK), Jovan Marjanovi? (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Maria Bakalova (Bulgaria), Juraj Leroti? (Croatia), Anna Hints (Estonia), Ariane Toscan du Plantier (France), Stéphan Castang (France), David Thion (France), Marie-Ange Luciani (France), Latifa Saïd (France), Rebecca Houzel (France), Thomas Hakim (France), Sami Mustafa (France/Kosovo), Mohamed Siam (France), Hanna Bergholm (Finland), Hamze Bytyçi (Germany), Christian M. Goldbeck (Germany), Behrooz Karamizade (Germany), Jerry Hoffmann (Germany), Aylin Tezel (Germany), Jasmin Tabatabai (Germany), Sofia Exarchou (Greece), Phedon Papamichael (Greece), Kate McCullough (Ireland), Matteo Garrone (Italy), Enzo d’Alò (Italy), Francesco Montagner (Italy), Uljana Kim (Lithuania), Cindy Jansen (Netherlands), Fatih Ra?bet (Netherlands), Cristi Puiu (Romania), Anca Puiu (Romania), Elene Naveriani (Switzerland), Selahattin Pa?al? (Turkey), Molly Manning Walker (UK), Melanie Hoyes (UK), Lizzie Francke (UK), Charles Newland (UK), Jad Salfiti (UK) and Guy Nattiv (US).

Among the new members of the European Film Academy are Romani filmmakers as well as Sámi filmmakers, stemming from the Roma and indigenous populations in various European countries, including Greenland. 

Currently, the European Film Academy has over 5,000 members in 52 countries. 

Sources: SSIFF, EFA