Have Europe Moved On? Give Kevin Spacey Awards, Jobs, and more

[RAMROD 104,847]

While he may still be the highest profile actor effectively “canceled” by mainstream Hollywood in the wake of the #MeToo movement, Spacey continues to be feted across Europe, with sellout appearances and now two awards, both announced almost back-to-back and taking place a day apart later this month.

On July 21 in the historical Italian town of Taormina in Sicily, Spacey will take the stage at a 4,000-seater ancient Roman theater in the shadow of the active Mount Etna volcano to be presented with the Nations Award, an honor that dates back to 1970 and has previously been given to the likes of Woody Allen, Abel Ferrara, Claudia Cardinale and Gerard Depardieu (F. Murray Abraham won it last year). 

The night before, in a slightly less grandiose setting, he’s set to be given the best thriller performance award for “Control” at the second edition of the Folkestone Independent Film Awards taking place on England’s south coast (an event being held in the port town’s Quarterhouse performing arts venue). 

And earlier this month, Spacey was the guest of honor at the Golden Apricot Film Festival in the Armenian capital of Yerevan, where he was presented with a special prize on the opening night, taught an acting masterclass and addressed a packed room of fans. In videos on social media, he’s seen getting a standing ovation and receiving gifts from the audience, one of whom says “god bless you” and thanks Spacey for visiting the country. 

Interestingly, it’s in Italy where Spacey has received the most support since his fall from grace. Alongside the various honors, it was there where he filmed his first project since allegations erupted, the 2022 drama “The Man Who Drew God,” while last December he returned to shoot thriller “The Contract.” Like “Control,” both films are toward the lower end of the independent spectrum, but in a quote to Variety Spacey said he was appreciative of the solidarity he’s been receiving from that corner of the movie world. 

“I have always loved and supported independent films, but now more than ever, I am grateful that independent filmmakers are supporting me,” he said.

Meanwhile, O’Reilly at Folkestone says that he never actually heard about “Kevin Spacey Unmasked” or any of the new allegations. But he notes that, even if he had, his awards are purely based on a film’s production, using the points system for judges as arranged by popular festival platform FilmFreeway. Yet he does also claim there is a notion of trying to help Spacey get back on his feet, saying he’d heard about his recent appearance on “Piers Morgan Uncensored” when making the decision and that the actor was “struggling.” 

It may take more than a couple of largely unknown awards in Europe to resurrect Spacey’s career to anywhere close to where it was pre-2017. Even the small number of films that have come out have faced an uphill battle to attract attention, despite his court victories. In October, a London cinema dropped an offer it had accepted to host the world premiere of “Control.”

 

https://variety.com/2024/film/global/kevin-spacey-why-european-awards-italy-uk-1236072901/

Edited July 16, 2024 by RAMROD

[Bling 31,198]

I have mixed feelings on this so I'll just say: he's a good actor