Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey will receive a lifetime achievement award in Cannes next week, marking what could be one of the most prominent returns to the spotlight after the #MeToo movement.
The Better World Fund will recognize Spacey, 65, for his achievements in film and television at its 10th anniversary gala Tuesday at Cannes’ Carlton Hotel, The Guardian reported.
Spacey is being honored for “his decades of artistic brilliance and his lasting influence on cinema and the arts,” according to a statement from the Better World Fund. While in Cannes, he is also seeking financing and distribution for his new film “The Awakening,” which is being presented at the Marché du Film, the industry market held in the basement of the Palais du Cinéma.
Spacey may also make a red carpet appearance during his appearance in Cannes, his first since being acquitted of nine cases of alleged sexual offenses in Britain in 2023 and a New York court dismissed a $40 million civil sexual misconduct lawsuit him in 2022, Variety reported.
His last visit to the festival was in 2016, when he hosted the amfAR gala as emcee.
“The Awakening” marks the first film Spacey worked on after his acquittal in the U.K. in 2023, which was his most recent trial.
“We’ve not just kind of crowbarred him in. It makes sense. It’s not ‘House of Cards,’ but it’s very in line with that kind of character,” said producer Matt Hookings of Camelot Films, adding that his Cannes appearance is part of his company’s “guerrilla marketing” to bring attention to the film.
“So if anyone speaks to him, he could say he’s in Cannes and receiving an award, but he’s also here with ‘The Awakening,’ so the film gets plugged,” said Hookings, adding that Spacey will meet with buyers.
News that Spacey will receive a lifetime achievement award was met with some backlash.
“I used to love Kevin Spacey as an actor,” said Valèrie Guelminger, a spectator waiting for stars to walk the red carpet. “But now I feel sad and disappointed, and I am not sure I would cheer him on if he walked by now.”
Stephanie Johns, 44, a Canadian screenwriter visiting the festival, questioned why Spacey would be bestowed with the award.
“There are so many high-profile white men who could get an award like that, so why invite him?” she said. “Couldn’t they get anyone else?”
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