This evening, acclaimed British actress Olivia Colman received a BFI Fellowship at the annual BFI Chairman’s dinner, hosted by BFI Chair Josh Berger. The BFI Fellowship was presented to Olivia at the Rosewood Hotel, London, by Yorgos Lanthimos, who directed her in The Lobster (2015) and The Favourite (2018), the latter of which has garnered her a long list of Best Actress accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA, a Golden Globe and a BIFA. The BFI Fellowship honours and celebrates Olivia’s very special contribution to television and film, and is in recognition of her distinctive and prodigious acting talents and the impact she has on audiences all over the world.
Helena Bonham-Carter, Richard E. Grant, David Tennant, Jim Broadbent, Vanessa Redgrave, Richard Curtis, Tobias Menzies, Anne Marie-Duff, Tom Hollander, Peter Morgan, Andrew Scott and other luminaries were all in attendance to celebrate Olivia’s award.
In her speech, Olivia Colman said ‘I didn’t know what to expect this evening, turns out it’s a bit like a surprise birthday party… on the back of a lovely year.’
On presenting the BFI Fellowship to Olivia, Yorgos Lanthimos said ‘There isn’t an actor who can infuse each moment onscreen with such great humanity, drama and humour. No one can appear so fragile, magnetic, fierce, funny and real from one second to the next, or all at the same time.’
BFI Chair Josh Berger said ‘I am thrilled the BFI has given its highest honour, the BFI Fellowship, to Olivia Colman, at such an exciting point in her career. Olivia is a brilliant comic actor and one of the industry’s finest dramatic performers. Her ability to be relatable in such a diverse range of roles generates incredible warmth and admiration from audiences. The Favourite is firmly up there as one of the best films of recent years and showcases Olivia’s extraordinary and nuanced performance, which is fittingly being acknowledged by critics and audiences all over the world.’
Olivia is joining the distinguished ranks of other BFI Fellows including Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Vanessa Redgrave, Helena Bonham Carter, Cate Blanchett, Martin Scorsese, Jeanne Moreau, Stephen Frears, Steve McQueen, Peter Morgan, John Hurt and Hugh Grant.