Winter 1999. During the shooting of one of the most memorable scenes in ‘Mulholland Drive’, ranked the second-best film of the century so far by the ‘New York Times’ and widely praised by specialist critics, a then-unknown Naomi Watts manages to draw an unusual round of applause from everyone on set, including its director, the late David Lynch, whom the actress has recalled for how he kick-started her career with this unforgettable, dreamlike drama.
More than 20 years later, the English actress will receive the Donostia Award at the San Sebastián Film Festival, the Zinemaldia, after a career that has taken in horror classics (‘The Ring‘), major box-office hits (‘The Impossible‘ by Juan Antonio Bayona) and even Ryan Murphy’s televisual camp (‘Feud‘).
Watts, twice nominated for the Oscars and the Golden Globes, as well as once for the British BAFTAs, Spain’s Goya awards and television’s Emmy, has been recognised by the historic San Sebastián festival as “one of the most talented and recognisable actresses of her generation”. Among the other renowned directors she has worked with are Alejandro Iñárritu, both on ’21 Grams’ and ‘Birdman’, Michael Haneke, Woody Allen and Noah Baumbach.
The Zinemaldia jury has confirmed that Watts will receive the prize on 19 September at a gala after which the film ‘La esposa perfecta’, by Ben Shirinian, in which the actress appears in the cast, will be screened. It is a drama in which a young New York Times journalist uncovers a possible Nazi officer living in Queens while striking up a friendship with the suspect’s wife.
The festival had already announced in August that the first of the Donostia Awards would go to director, screenwriter, producer and actor Werner Herzog. The list of previous honourees at the Basque festival includes Gregory Peck, Bette Davis, Lauren Bacall, Francis Ford Coppola, Agnes Vardà, Catherine Deneuve and Pedro Almodóvar.