The Zurich Film Festival will honor director Martin McDonagh with its A Tribute To … Award in recognition of his outstanding contribution to cinema.
The filmmaker behind In Bruges, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and The Banshees of Inisherin, will receive the award in Zurich at a gala screening of his new film, Wild Horse Nine. The dark comedy, starring John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell as a pair of CIA officers sent to Easter Island ahead of the 1973 coup in Chile, will have its world premiere in competition at the Venice Film Festival next month.
John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell in ‘Wild Horse Nine’
Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures/Diego Araya Corvalán
McDonagh’s last two features: The Banshees of Inisherin (2022) and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) were multiple-Academy Award nominees and both were nominated for Best Picture. Three Billboards won acting Oscars for Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell.
Zurich’s Tribute To… award recognizes filmmakers who have made a lasting impact on film history. Announcing this year’s honoree, the festival said McDonagh “has created a distinctive cinematic voice, blending sharp dialogue, dark humor and richly drawn characters.” As part of the tribute, McDonagh will take part in a ZFF Masters discussion on his creative process.
This isn’t McDonagh’s first trip to Zurich. Both Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and The Banshees of Inisherin had gala screenings at the festival, which has become a key international stop on the awards season calendar.
“Martin McDonagh is one of the most exciting auteur filmmakers of his generation,” said Zurich Festival CEO Christian Jungen. “Through his personal signature style, he showcases a rare ability to captivate audiences through the interplay of meticulously crafted cinematography, atmospheric settings and clever storytelling, combined with an artistic intuition for striking the perfect balance between the absurd and the familiar. [His] talent for eliciting complex and nuanced performances from his actors is a defining hallmark of his distinctive style. Wild Horse Nine is no exception and, in our view, one of the standout films of the season. We have had the privilege of screening several of Martin McDonagh’s earlier masterpieces, and we are delighted to honor his outstanding contribution to the art of cinema.”
London-born of Irish descent, McDonagh first gained attention with his Oscar-winning short Six Shooter (2006). His international breakthrough came with the In Bruges (2009), a dark crime comedy featuring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, who would re-team with McDonagh on The Banshees of Inisherin.
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri was nominated for a total of seven Oscars, The Banshees of Inisherin) for nine. In addition to the Best Picture noms, McDonagh received Best Original screenplay nominations for both films and a Best Directing nom for The Banshees. He’s won a total of six Baftas, including best film and best British film for Three Billboards and best British film for The Banshees of Inisherin. He won Best Original Screenplay honors at the Golden Globes for both Three Billboards and The Banshees of Inisherin.
McDonagh is also an accomplished playwright. His works, including The Beauty Queen of Leenane, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, The Pillowman and Hangmen have been staged in the West End and on Broadway and performed in more than 40 countries in over 30 languages. He won an Olivier Award for best new comedy for The Lieutenant of Inishmore and two Olivier Awards for best new play for The Pillowman and Hangmen.
Previous receipiants of the Zurich A Tribute To … Award include Noah Baumbach, Edward Berger, Wim Wenders, Claire Denis and Luca Guadagnino.
The 22nd edition of the Zurich International Film Festival runs from Sept. 24 to Oct. 4.
