The Newport Beach Film Festival has revealed the names to be honored in this year’s Icon and Artists of Distinction categories ahead of next week’s U.K. and Ireland Honors event, hosted by Nick Mohammed and Edith Bowman.
This year, the Icon Award will be presented to comedian and actor Jennifer Saunders. The Icon Award is the most prestigious award issued at the event, with previous recipients including Stephen Fry, Bill Nighy, Lesley Manville, Richard E. Grant and Patrick Stewart.
The BAFTA Award winning and BAFTA fellow Saunders’ roles include sitcom “Absolutely Fabulous” and sketch comedy series “French and Saunders,” with collaborator Dawn French. In addition, Saunders has starred in global blockbusters such as “Shrek,” “Sing” and “Death on the Nile,” as well as Richard Eyre’s feature film “Allelujah!” and Harlan Coben’s Netflix series “The Stranger,” amongst many other projects.
Saunders can next be seen in the much anticipated upcoming blockbuster from Neal Street Productions, “The Magic Faraway Tree,” where she will play the role of Grandma Thompson.
Meanwhile, the Artist of Distinction award honors established talent whose work has made a significant impact on the U.K. and Ireland entertainment industry over several years. The honorees for this category are Jack O’Connell (“Sinners,” “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple”), Sam Claflin (“Hunger Games,” “Lazarus”), Shirley Henderson (“I Swear,” “Bridget Jones”), Sophie Turner (“Game of Thrones,” “Steal”) and Timothy Spall (“Death Valley,” “Hamlet”).
O’Connell has featured in films including the recent “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple,” “Sinners” and “Back to Black,” for which he was nominated for a BAFTA. Claflin’s credits include “Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” “Love, Rosie” and “Daisy Jones and the Six,” for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe.
Henderson has become a mainstay of British film and television, with roles in “Bridget Jones,” “Trainspotting” and “Wild Child,” as well as her recent turn in the BAFTA award nominated film “I Swear.” SAG and Emmy award nominated Turner’s career has seen her tackle roles from the infamous Sansa Stark on “Game of Thrones” and jewel thief Joan Hannington, to Lara Croft in the upcoming adaptation of “Tomb Raider” from Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
BAFTA award winner Spall is a veteran of the British film and television industry with career highlights including his roles in the Harry Potter franchise, “Mr Turner” and “Enchanted.”
President and CEO of Visit Newport Beach, Gary Sherwin, and CEO of Newport Beach Film Festival, Gregg Schwenk, said: “We are thrilled to announce the latest list of honorees for this year’s Newport Beach Film Festival U.K. and Ireland Honors event: Jennifer Saunders is a true industry titan of the industry and national treasure in the U.K., and this year’s Artists of Distinction, Jack O’Connell, Sam Claflin, Shirley Henderson, Sophie Turner and Timothy Spall have all established long running, diverse successful careers. This year’s honorees exemplify the exceptionally high standard of work coming out of the U.K. and Ireland, and we can’t wait to celebrate them at this year’s ceremony.”