Tilda Swinton to receive BFI Fellowship

Tilda Swinton is to receive the British Film Institute's prestigious Fellowship honour.

The Doctor Strange star will receive the award at the BFI Chair's annual dinner at the Rosewood Hotel in London on 2 March in recognition of her "daringly eclectic and striking talents as a performer and filmmaker" and her contribution to film.

"Fellowship and BFI are two of my favourite words. And the beginning and end of the reason I live my life in the cinema in the first place," Swinton said in a statement. "I am very happy and touched by this honour. And I share it entirely with my beloved filmmaking playmates, living and departed."

BFI Chair Josh Berger praised the star for her "powerful and far-ranging" work, from her early movies with auteur filmmaker Derek Jarman to her involvement in blockbuster Marvel movies like Doctor Strange and Avengers: Endgame.

"It is a career full of courageous artistic choices that has earned her the deep respect of her peers, our industry and the admiration and enjoyment of audiences all over the world," Berger said. "Tilda inhabits the characters she portrays in the most compelling way.

"Her work is powerful and far-ranging and as such occupies a unique place in our collective film history - it captivates young film-makers and actors, inspiring them to make bolder, braver and more profound work."

The Oscar winner follows in the footsteps of previous Fellowship honourees such as Dame Judi Dench, Hugh Grant, Al Pacino, Tim Burton, Cate Blanchett, Martin Scorsese, and Vanessa Redgrave.

The 59-year-old will also be honoured with a special season featuring her work and her inspirations at the BFI's Southbank base from 1 to 18 March. She will also hold a special Tilda in Conversation event on 3 March.