Frances McDormand wins Persol Tribute to Visionary Talent Award 2014

The actress perfectly reflects the characteristics that make Persol a timeless reference for prestigious accessories Persol has announced that American actress Frances McDormand has won the Persol Tribute to Visionary Talent Award 2014 of the 71st Venice Film Festival. Always synonymous with elegance and charm, the Persol brand is a legend in the Italian and international eyewear industry. Cinema has always been part of Persol's DNA: since the Sixties, its models have often been the protagonists in some of the most representative movies of Italian cinematography and have become the personal choice of numerous, unforgettable artists and talents in the world of cinema and the international star system. The strong bond with the world of cinema has remained constant over time and the collaboration between Persol and the Venice Biennial is now at its tenth year in a row.   Persol will be at the Festival's symbolic locations and especially at Studio Persol, the marvelous sea view terrace opposite Palazzo del Casinò, and its newest and most exclusive models will accompany celebrities at the Lido.   Fabio d'Angelantonio, President of Sunglass Hut and Chief Marketing Officer Luxottica Group, stated: "We are proud to continue our collaboration with the Venice Film Festival which is now at the tenth edition in a row. This year, the Persol Tribute to Visionary Talent Award will celebrate a unique artist in her genre. We are honored to award Frances McDormand, a talent that perfectly reflects the characteristics that make Persol a timeless reference for prestigious accessories: art, authenticity, passion and uniqueness."   Apropos of this award, Festival director Alberto Barbera commented: "The originality and extent of Frances McDormand's talent are well represented in Olive Kitteridge, a book by Elizabeth Strout that she herself optioned and served as an executive producer on the project. It is another great example of her vision to which we pay homage with this award. With her long experience in theater, cinema and television that has always been in the pursuit of truth, Frances McDormand's career is not only that of an extraordinary actress, it also reflects a consistent vision of art and the world that is often a positive and aware contrast with today's dominant system of values."   The presentation of the Persol Tribute to Visionary Talent Award to Frances McDormand took place during the 71st Festival in Venice yesterday, Monday September 1, at 4.45 pm in the Sala Grande, Palazzo del Cinema. It was followed by the premiere of Olive Kitteridge, directed by Lisa Cholodenko (USA) with Frances McDormand, Richard Jenkins, Bill Murray, John Gallagher Jr. and Zoe Kazan, a four-part series based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book of the same name by Elizabeth Strout. The executive producers are Gary Goetzman, Tom Hanks, Frances McDormand and Jane Anderson; the miniseries written by Jane Anderson and produced by Playtone / As Is, will debut on HBO in the United States in November.   Frances McDormand was an Oscar nominee for Mississippi Burning (1988), Almost Famous (2000) and North Country (2005). She won an Oscar for her role as Marge Gunderson in Fargo (1996). Her other films include Promised Land, Moonrise Kingdom, This Must Be The Place, Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted, Burn After Reading, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, Friends With Money, Laurel Canyon, Something's Gotta Give, Wonder Boys, City by the Sea, Madeline, Primal Fear, Lone Star, Palookaville, Chattahoochee, Darkman, Hidden Agenda, Short Cuts, Beyond Rangoon, Paradise Road, The Man Who Wasn't There, Arizona Junior and Blood Simple.   In addition to Olive Kitteridge, she has produced the soon to be released movie Every Secret Thing starring Diane Lane, Elizabeth Banks and Dakota Fanning. Frances McDormand attended Yale School of Drama. For her work on Broadway she received a Tony Award, the Drama Desk Award and the Outer Critics Circle Award for her role in Good People, written by David Lindsay-Abaire and directed by Daniel Sullivan.   Her stage performances include The Country Girl directed by Mike Nichols on Broadway, Far Away by Caryl Churchill, directed by Stephen Daldry at the New York Theatre Workshop, Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire for which she received a Tony nomination, The Sisters Rosenzweig directed by Daniel Sullivan at the Lincoln Center Theatre, The Swan at the Public Theatre, A Streetcar Named Desire (this time as Blanche) at the Gate Theater in Dublin, and Oedipus by Dare Clubb, with actor Billy Crudup at the Blue Light Theater Company. With The Wooster Group she performed in To You, The Birdie! and North Atlantic.