 MIAMI – Jason Reitman’s “Tully” will open the 35th Miami Film Festival, which will screen 148 films from 50 countries, and special awards will be given to French actress Isabelle Hupert and Spanish director Carlos Saura. “Isabelle Huppert has made profound contributions to cinema over the course of her illustrious career,” festival director Jaie Laplante said in a statement. “With her recent performances in ‘Things to Come’ and ‘Elle,’ as well as ‘Souvenir’ and ‘Claire’s Camera,’ both of which we will be screening in conjunction with her festival appearance, Ms. Huppert reaches ever-new pinnacles that continually astonish us, and add to her iconic status.” The 64-year-old Huppert will receive the festival’s Precious Gem-Icon Award on March 16, which is her birthday, while the 86-year-old Saura will receive the Precious Gem-Master Award on March 11. “Carlos Saura returns to Miami after receiving the festival’s Career Achievement Tribute Award at our 20th edition in 2003,” Laplante said. “At that time, he was 71. Now, he’s 86 and has made eight more brilliant films since his last visit to Miami – but with Saura(s), we see him in a new light, as both a filmmaker and a family-maker. He is a peerless master, and we celebrate the life that continues to nourish his art.” The festival, which is organized by Miami Dade College (MDC), will close with a screening of Curro Velazquez’s Spanish comedy “Que baje Dios y lo vea.” |