CLAIRE DENIS NAMED 2018 ROGER EBERT GOLDEN THUMB AWARD RECIPIENT

Toronto International Film Festival to honour the French master

TORONTO — Claire Denis, the award-winning creator of Beau travail, 35 Shots of Rum, Nenette and Boni, Chocolat, and this year’s High Life — which is premiering at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival — has been named the recipient of the fifth annual Roger Ebert Golden Thumb Award.

Friends, filmmakers, and industry professionals will gather to acknowledge the French director’s remarkable career achievements at an intimate reception taking place on Monday, September 10, at the Toronto International Film Festival.

“It is an honour to celebrate Claire Denis with the Roger Ebert Golden Thumb Award,” said Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director at TIFF. “Claire’s passion and expertise reflect industry excellence as she continues to reinvent her perspective in cinema.”

The Roger Ebert Golden Thumb Award was designed to celebrate a remarkable filmmaker who reflects renowned film critic Roger Ebert’s taste and passion for cinema. Denis joins previous recipients Martin Scorsese, Ava DuVernay, Agnès Varda, and Wim Wenders in an impressive list of honourees. The awards event, hosted by TIFF and the Ebert family, is a celebration of cinema that brings the film community together during the Festival.