Academy Award-winning actress, producer, and bestselling author Viola Davis will receive the 2022 Women In Motion Award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
Throughout her decorated career, Davis has won a Golden Globe, six Screen Actors Guild Awards, two Tonys, a BAFTA, a Primetime Emmy, as well as the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2016. In a statement released by the Kering Group, they spoke to Davis’ dedication to diversity in film, and also said that she is “known throughout the world for her acting roles and her commitment to the rights of women and minorities, is one of the most influential American actresses and producers of her time.”
The statement also read as follows: “Her talent, hard work, choice of roles and the way she interprets them have earned her the very highest recognitions in the film industry.”
Davis recently sat down with Oprah Winfrey in a Netflix special to discuss her newly released memoir Finding Me, where the actress spoke about her childhood in South Carolina, along with some of her experiences in the entertainment industry. Currently, can be seen playing Michelle Obama in Showtime’s The First Lady.
Since its launch in 2015, the Kering Group has been committed to celebrating women in cinema, both in front of and behind the camera, as well as their contributions to the arts. The previous honorees of the Women In Motion Award include Jane Fonda, Geena Davis, Susan Sarandon, Isabelle Huppert, Patty Jenkins, Gong Li and Salma Hayek – which would make Viola the first person of color to receive this accolade.
François-Henri Pinault, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Kering, Pierre Lescure, President of the Cannes Film Festival and Thierry Frémaux, Executive Director of Cannes, will present the award to Davis during the official Women In Motion dinner in Cannes on Sunday, May 22.
Davis will star in the upcoming film The Woman King, which is slated for release this fall.