Alexander Payne will be honored with the “Pardo d’Onore” award at the 78th Locarno Film Festival, joining other distinguished honorees such as Lucy Liu, Emma Thompson, and Jackie Chan

The award ceremony will take place on Friday, August 15. At the same time, the director will present two of his most acclaimed films – The Descendants (2011) and Nebraska (2013) – and will participate in an open discussion with the festival audience.

In its announcement, the festival described Payne as “the distinctive voice behind a series of modern classics with humor” and emphasized that he has secured a place among the directors who define 21st-century American cinema.

“His films have won a total of three Oscars, three BAFTAs, and eight Golden Globes, standing out for their unforgettable performances and highlighting the pleasures of mid-budget cinema for adult audiences – a form of art constantly under pressure and in need of defense,” the announcement noted.

Alexander Payne was born in Nebraska in 1961 and studied film at UCLA, where he attracted Hollywood’s attention through his student films. In 1996, he directed Citizen Ruth, starring Laura Dern, which premiered at Sundance. “From there, he created a series of eight feature films, each of which stands out for its elegant structure, biting humor, and tragicomic performances from an admirable range of great actors,” the festival highlighted.

The festival’s artistic director, Giona A. Nazzaro, described him as “an intellectual creator with encyclopedic film knowledge” and “a director who approaches human weaknesses with a smile.”

He emphasized: “Gifted with an unfailing instinct for the bittersweet aspects of human comedy, he is a creator of sensitivities. A flawless director who has worked with names like Jack Nicholson, George Clooney, Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, Matt Damon, Bruce Dern, and Paul Giamatti. In his work, we recognize his mastery of American cinematic savoir-faire, his poetry, and his uniqueness.”