Lifetime Achievement Awards
18.10.2012 - This year ADFF is proud to
present, for the first time, two prestigious Lifetime Achievement
Awards to two iconic actresses representing the cream of Arab and
international talent.
CLAUDIA CARDINALE is one of the most famous of
Italian actresses but, as it happens, she was born in Tunisia and
her first languages were Arabic and French. She made her first trip
to Italy only after winning the 'Most Beautiful Italian Girl in
Tunisia' contest in 1957. The first film in which she acted was a
Tunisian/French coproduction, Goha (1958), with Omar
Sharif starring in the title role. Italians could hear her real
(not dubbed) voice only a few years after, in Federico Fellini's
masterpiece 8½ (1963), in which she played herself as the
object of star Marcello Mastroianni's fantasies. France claims
Claudia Cardinale as its own; she has worked with many acclaimed
French directors, and she still divides her time between Paris and
Rome. Hollywood attempted to lure her to the US, but she did not
want to leave Europe. Still she found time to co-star with great
actors like David Niven, Peter Sellers, John Wayne, Rita Hayworth
and Rock Hudson. What is certain is that Claudia Cardinale
definitely belongs to the world and to the history of cinema. Her
waltz with Burt Lancaster in The Leopard by Luchino
Visconti, and the last scene of Once upon a Time in the
West by Sergio Leone are among the most famous and iconic
scenes ever put on the screen. And she keeps making films, with her
irresistible smile, her talent, her charm and intelligence at work,
collecting countless awards and recognitions. She recently starred
in The Artist and his Model by Fernando Trueba and in
Gebo and the Shadow, the latest work from the Portuguese
master Manoel De Oliveira, which screens in ADFF's Narrative
Feature Competition this year.
SAWSAN BADR is considered one of the great
dramatic actresses of her generation - she has often been called
the 'the Nefertiti of Egyptian film'. Born in Cairo, she was a
student of science, but her passion for acting won over, and in her
career she has achieved international acclaim for her work in
cinema, theatre and television. In spite of the plethora of talent
in the region, Sawsan manages to stand out with the breadth of her
cinematic experience and her elemental, show-stopping
performances. Whether she has been given the lead or a supporting
role, or even in a cameo, she has always found a way to shine. She
has starred in one major film after another, including the
controversial The Secret of the Little Girl (2001) and the
thriller Adam's Autumn (2002). Her expansive talent is
proven in comedies like Girl's Love (2004), as well as
musicals and romantic comedies such as Cut and Paste
(2006). She has also excelled in more momentous dramatic roles, of
which her performance in the renowned Atef Hatata's Closed
Doors (1999) brought her worldwide attention and accolades.
That film, whose influence on Egyptian independent film is more
apparent over time, has been chosen for a Special Screening at this
year's ADFF, giving the audiences of Abu Dhabi a chance to see
Sawsan at her best on the big screen and glimpse one lustrous
moment in a stellar career.