Zoe Saldaña, whose busy year has culminated in awards buzz for her leading role in Emilia Pérez, will be honored with the Derek Malcolm Award for Innovation at the 45th London Critics’ Circle Film Awards.
The actress will pick up the prize at the Feb. 2 ceremony and become the second recipient of the annual award, named in memory of critic Derek Malcolm, who died at 91 in August 2023. Sing Sing‘s Colman Domingo was the inaugural recipient earlier in the year.
“I’m honored and thrilled to receive the Derek Malcolm Award for Innovation from the London Film Critics’ Circle, a group I greatly admire and respect,” Saldaña said. “This has been a wonderful year for film with so many striking and indelible roles for women. To have had the opportunity to work in this industry for 25 years has been a privilege and to perform the role of Rita in Emilia Pérez has been the opportunity of a lifetime.”
Saldaña is also nominated for supporting actress of the year for her performance in Jacques Audiard’s musical drama, but she is also known for starring in some of the highest-grossing films of all time, including Avatar and Avengers: Endgame. Star Trek and Guardians of the Galaxy has solidified her A-list actress status.
Her breakout role was in the 2000 film Centre Stage, following Out of the Furnace, Colombiana and the miniseries Rosemary’s Baby. Saldaña is also being recognized for her efforts as a producer, having helped bring diverse narratives and honest portrayals of women in particular to the screen, such as the TV series Special Ops: Lioness, in which she also stars, and her recent film The Absence of Eden, which shed a light on trafficking across the US-Mexico border.
Earlier this year, Saldaña won the Cannes Film Festival Award for best actress for Emilia Pérez alongside her co-stars Karla Sofía Gascón, Selena Gomez and Adriana Paz.
“Critics have long been fans of Zoe Saldaña’s ground-breaking work,” said Rich Cline, chair of London Film Critics’ Circle. “From her astonishingly nuanced turns in genre pieces like Avatar and Guardians of the Galaxy to her pioneering role producing complex female narratives. And in Emilia Pérez she wowed us with a beautifully compelling, full-bodied performance from the heart.”
The 45th London Critics’ Circle Film Awards are voted by the 208-member Film Section of the Critics’ Circle, the U.K.’s longest-standing critics’ organization. On Thursday, it was revealed that The Brutalist and Anora led their nominations with seven nods each. See the full list of nominations here.
