Festivals - FCAD 2023: Natalie Portman to receive Deauville Talent Award 

By Mulder, 06 july 2023

Natalie Portman made her breakthrough debut in the 1990s. As a teenager, she made her remarkable debut in the film Leon, at just 15, where she shared the screen with Al Pacino in Heat in 1995. That same year, she was the youngest member of the cast of Beautiful Girl", alongside Uma Thurman. However, it was with the role of Queen Amidala in George Lucas's Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menac (1999) that she made a lasting impact not only as a sovereign devoted to her people, but also as an acclaimed actress. At just 18, she had already worked with some of the biggest names in cinema, including Michael Mann, Woody Allen and Tim Burton.

After studying at Harvard, she took on a series of ambitious roles, notably in Anthony Minghella's "Return to Cold Mountain" (2003) and Mike Nichols' "Close" (2004), which gave her one of her most interesting roles, establishing her as a woman in her own right. In 2007, she played a poker player alongside Norah Jones in Wong Kar-wai's My Blueberry Nights. All her roles are distinguished by an ambivalent presence, blending strength and fragility (as in V for Vendetta in 2006 and The Other Boleyn Girl in 2008).

Her thirst for discovery led her to take part in a wide range of projects, from Amos Gitaï's committed film Free Zone to the Marvel universe with Thor: Love and Thunder, and Terrence Malick's more introspective films such as Knight of Cups and Song to Song. Her career really took off in 2011 with Darren Aronofsky's thriller Black Swan, in which she plays a schizophrenic ballerina. Her performance earned her the Golden Globe and Oscar for Best Actress. In 2017, she received another Oscar nomination for her role in Pablo Larraín's Jackie. In 2014, the actress stepped behind the camera to direct A Tale of Love and Darkness, an adaptation of the novel by Amos Oz.

Natalie Portman has always taken on demanding roles in order to build a versatile and committed career. Throughout her career, she has proved that she can embody characters of all kinds with depth and accuracy. From Garbo to Dietrich, Ava Gardner to Meryl Streep, Marilyn to Jessica Chastain, the great actresses have all contributed to the mythology of cinema... and Natalie Portman is one of them. So it's only fitting that the Deauville Festival should present her with a Deauville Talent Award. On this occasion, she will present the premiere of Todd Haynes' film May December.

Photo: Copyright Studio Vigerie

(Source : press release)