Oscar® winning writer/director Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman, MVFF43) is the recipient of the MVFF Mind the Gap Award for Filmmaker of the Year at the 2023 Mill Valley Film Festival (MVFF).
Her latest film, the wickedly funny Saltburn, will screen on Tuesday, October 10, 2023 at the festival, followed by an on-stage conversation with Fennell, who will also accept the Mind the Gap Award.
In Saltburn, Academy Award® winning filmmaker Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman) brings us a beautifully wicked tale of privilege and desire. Struggling to find his place at Oxford University, student Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) finds himself drawn into the world of the charming and aristocratic Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi), who invites him to Saltburn, his eccentric family’s sprawling estate, for a summer never to be forgotten.
The MVFF Spotlight program honors and celebrates exceptional work by film artists in their most current work. Honorees may be in early, mid, or late career. The MVFF Mind the Gap Award honors creatives, leaders, and craftswomen whose work has helped close the gender gap in the film industry and in our lives. Recognizing talents above and below the line, the Award celebrates their groundbreaking achievements and acknowledges their importance as role models. Previous Mind the Gap Award recipients include Chinonye Chukwu, Danielle Deadwyler, Nina Yang Bongiovi, Jane Campion, Viola Davis, Dawn Porter Céline Sciamma, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Carrie Mulligan, to name a few.
Spotlight | MIND THE GAP AWARD – FILMMAKER OF THE YEAR | EMERALD FENNELL
Tuesday, October 10 | 7:00pm
Smith Rafael Film Center
1118 Fourth Street, San Rafael
Emerald Fennell is a renowned writer, director, actress, and author who has firmly established herself as a prolific multihyphenate across film, television, and theater, garnering many accolades. Among her achievements are two British Academy Film Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, three Primetime Emmy Award nominations, three Golden Globe Award nominations, and an Academy Award® for Best Original Screenplay for her stunning directorial debut in 2020 with “Promising Young Woman.” Beyond her cinematic accomplishments, Fennell has published three novels; the first two, “Shiverton Hall” and its sequel “The Creeper,” captivated readers with their narrative prowess, and her third novel, “Monsters,” a nominee for the 2017 Carnegie Medal, garnered widespread acclaim, drawing comparisons ranging from Ronald Dahl to Bret Easton Ellis. These novels have showcased her narrative finesse and earned her a fervent following, firmly establishing her as a multifaceted creative force.