British actor Sir Ben Kingsley will be honored at the 18th Zurich Film Festival with the Golden Icon Award and present the European premiere of his latest movie Dalíland, in which he portrays the Spanish painter Salvador Dalí. In addition, Sir Ben Kingsley will speak about his career in a ZFF Masters.

Sir Ben Kingsley will be in Zurich to accept the Golden Icon Award in person on September 29, 2022. The accolade is awarded to personalities who have impacted on cinema through their achievements in acting, and have become an icon for an entire generation.

“I’m a storyteller, nothing more and nothing less. So I’m touched that Zurich should see fit to honor me for this, my simple, ancient craft” states Sir Ben Kingsley.

Kingsley presents his new movie in Zurich, Mary Harron’s Dalíland. In it, he embodies the eccentric Spanish painter Salvador Dalí who, together with his new assistant, is busy preparing an important show in New York in 1973, while his tempestuous marriage to wife Gala (Barbara Sukowa) is on the verge of collapse.

“Sir Ben Kingsley is an outstanding and highly versatile character actor who is not only completely absorbed in his roles, but is also able to imbue his characters with a rare human depth,” says Christian Jungen, ZFF Artistic Director. “With his nuanced acting, Kingsley has the ability to present the inner life of his characters to the outside world and to embody complex, fractured characters in a convincing and haunting way. A number of Kingsley’s films, including Gandhi and Schindler’s List, are among the most significant milestones in film history, making him in turn one of the most famous actors in the world.”