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Natalie Portman, Michelle Williams, Sebastian Stan to Be Honored at Deauville Film Festival

Natalie Portman, Michelle Williams and Sebastian Stan will be honored at the Deauville American Film Festival which celebrates this year its 50th anniversary in the seaside town of French Normandy.

Portman and Williams will receive the Deauville Talent Award for their career achievements, while Stan will be honored with the Hollywood Rising Star Award.

“Portman has always taken on demanding roles (…) that are marked by this ambivalent presence, a mixture of strength and fragility. She has proven throughout her career that she can play all kinds of characters with depth and accuracy,” stated the Deauville Film Festival which is under the new leadership of Aude Hesbert.

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Portman earned a Golden Globe nomination for her role in Todd Haynes’ “May December” which was presented at the Deauville Film Festival in 2023. The actor was already celebrated last year with a Deauville honorary tribute but was not able to attend the festival due to the SAG-AFTRA strike.

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She previously won an Oscar for her performance in “Black Swan” and earned two Oscar nominations for her parts in Pablo Larrain’s “Jackie” and Mike Nichols’ “Closer.”

Williams, who will also be on hand in Deauville to receive the career tribute, has earned five Oscar nominations, most recently for her role opposite Paul Dano in Steven Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans.” She has also delivered acclaimed performances in “Blue Valentine,” “Wendy and Lucy,” “My Week With Marilyn” and “Manchester by the Sea.”

“From Wim Wenders to Martin Scorsese, from Todd Haynes to Steven Spielberg via Kelly Reichardt, she stands out as one of the most emblematic contemporary actresses with a magnetic gesture, as intense as it is delicate,” stated the Deauville Festival, who also praised Williams for her “admirable artistic freedom.”

Stan, meanwhile, recently delivered a buzzed about performance as a young Donald Trump in Ali Abbasi’s Cannes competition film “The Apprentice,” and also starred in Aaron Schimberg’s “A Different Man” for which Stan won the Silver Bear at the Berlinale. Deauville Festival praised Stan for his “talent and audacity.”

This year’s Hollywood Rising Star honorees also include Daisy Ridley. The festival previously feted Emilia Clarke, Ana de Armas, Paul Dano, and Robert Pattinson, Ryan Gosling and Jessica Chastain.

Another anticipated highlight of this edition will be the ‘Focus’ on Cannes’ Palme d’Or winner Sean Baker who will present his award-winning movie “Anora,” in addition to four films he directed and have never been released in France, “Four Letter Words,” “Take Out,” “Prince of Broadway” and “Starlet.”

As previously announced, Michael Douglas will be honored at this year’s 50th edition as guest of honor. He will feted on opening night of the festival, on Sept. 6. James Gray will also be celebrated and is set for a masterclass on Sept. 9.

Before joining the Deauville Film Festival, Hesbert worked at Unifrance and most recently headed French film and TV residency program Villa Albertine in Los Angeles. Backed by Chanel, the festival will wrap on Sept. 15.

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