Emma Thompson will be honored with the Leopard Club Award at the 78th Locarno Film Festival, where she will also world premiere her latest film, the action-thriller The Dead of Winter directed by Brian Kirk. The festival will take place from August 6 – 16, 2025.
Giona A. Nazzaro, Artistic Director: “Emma Thompson embodies the best of a tradition of performers who continue to be able to infuse each role with the deepest knowledge about the actor’s work. Working with writers as exceptional as she herself is, fearlessly tackling ever-changing registers and characters, moving from Shakespeare to James Ivory, from the magic of Harry Potter to the transformations of Nanny McPhee, she has continued to surprise audiences over a career that has earned her numerous awards, including two Oscars, two Golden Globes, three BAFTAs, a Golden Lion, and an Emmy. Honoring the talent of a performer as brilliant and multifaceted as Emma Thompson with the Leopard Club Award is due recognition of an artist who has moved us, made us think, entertained us and, most importantly, never ceased to surprise us.”
Academy, BAFTA, Golden Globe, and Emmy Award-winning Emma Thompson is one of the UK’s most recognizable actors, with a career in acting, writing, and producing that spans both television and film – from independent features to major blockbusters.
Thompson’s most notable parts include Howards End (1992), The Remains of the Day (1993), Sense and Sensibility (1996), Angels in America (2003), the Harry Potter series (2003-2011), Love Actually (2003), Nanny McPhee (2005), Saving Mr. Banks (2013), Years and Years (2019), Cruella (2021), Matilda the Musical (2022), and recently in the acclaimed drama Good Luck to You, Leo Grande (2022).
In Locarno, she will attend the world premiere of the thriller The Dead of Winter, which she executive produced and stars in as a woman, traveling alone through snowbound northern Minnesota, who interrupts the kidnapping of a teenage girl, only to realize that she is the young victim’s only hope.
Also starring in the film are Judy Greer, Marc Menchaca, Laurel Marsden, Gaia Wise, Lloyd Hutchinson, and Brían F. O’Byrne.
“The Dead of Winter is a merciless thriller, set in an epic wilderness with a beautiful love story at its heart. Emma Thompson gives a stunning performance unlike anything she has ever done before,” said Kirk.