Annette Bening, David O. Russell to Receive Vision Award at Sun Valley Film Festival
Actor Annette Bening and filmmaker David O. Russell will receive top honors at the 13th annual Sun Valley Film Festival, which returns Feb. 28 to March 3 with a slate of cinematic programming and film and television premieres.
They’ll take home the prestigious Vision Award, bestowed annually to “industry icons whose contributions to the art of cinema have changed the industry for the better,” the SVFF said in a statement.
More from Variety
Annette Bening to Receive Spotlight Award From Costume Designers Guild (EXCLUSIVE)
David O. Russell to Direct Linda Ronstadt Biopic, Starring Selena Gomez
Bening and Russell will be honored at a dinner on March 1 and will participate in discussions focused on their career achievements. Russell will also join a screening and Q&A of his 10-time Oscar-nominated crime drama “American Hustle,” while Bening will appear at a screening of the 2023 short “Ten Thousand Mile Bridge.”
Bening recently played swimmer Diana Nyad in the Netflix drama “Nyad,” for which she received a SAG Award nomination for best actress. Bening is a two-time Tony Award and four-time Academy Award nominee, and she’s received two Golden Globes and two SAG Awards. She previously took to Broadway to play Kate Keller in the 2019 revival of the Arthur Miller classic “All My Sons,” which earned Bening her second Tony nomination. Her latest project sees her starring alongside Danny DeVito in the Chris Pine-directed “Poolman,” which debuted at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.
Russell’s credits as director, writer and producer include “The Fighter,” “Silver Linings Playbook,” “American Hustle” and “Three Kings.” Russell has been nominated for five Academy Awards, four Golden Globes, three Writers Guild of America Awards and two Directors Guild of America Awards. He’s won four Independent Spirit Awards and two BAFTA Awards and is the only director in Oscar history to have two consecutive films (“Silver Linings Playbook” in 2012 and “American Hustle” in 2013) receive award nominations in all four acting categories.
Bening and Russell join past SVFF honorees Josh Brolin, Geena Davis, Clint Eastwood, Gal Gadot, Woody Harrelson, Ethan Hawke, Gwyneth Paltrow, Amy Poehler, Meg Ryan and Oliver Stone.
“With such beloved films as ‘Silver Linings Playbook,’ ‘American Hustle’ and ‘The Fighter,’ David O. Russell has earned a place among America’s most imaginative filmmakers, and with her memorable performances in such diverse projects as ‘Bugsy,’ ’20th Century Women’ and most recently ‘Nyad,’ Annette Bening continues to build a spectacular career,” SVFF’s founder Teddy Grennan and SVFF director Candice Pate said in a joint statement. “We’re proud to honor both with Vision Awards this year.”
Additional SVFF programming will soon be announced on the festival’s website.
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
