John Leguizamo will receive the São Paulo International Film Festival’s Leon Cakoff Award on Monday, October 26, adding a Brazilian tribute to a busy awards season for the actor. The festival, celebrating its 50th edition through October 29, will pair the prize with a masterclass led by Leguizamo. Festival director Renata de Almeida will present the award for his body of work. The prize carries the name of the festival’s founder and honors “distinguished figures in culture and the audiovisual industry.”
The timing follows the success of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. Leguizamo plays Eumaeus, the loyal servant and friend of Odysseus, in the Universal release, which has been a box office juggernaut. Matt Damon plays Odysseus.
Leguizamo first drew wide attention in the 1990s through Carlito’s Way and Brian De Palma’s Casualties of War, then Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge! and Romeo + Juliet. He also voices Sid in the Ice Age franchise. His résumé spans over 100 films and countless television appearances, and includes Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild nominations. He holds a Special Tony Award and a Primetime Emmy.
Brazil is one stop in a string of tributes. The SCAD Savannah Film Festival has also named him an honoree, with an award following a screening of The Odyssey and a Q&A moderated by Gold Derby. He joins Helen Mirren, Julianne Moore and Patrice Vermette on that list. Hollywood critics scheduled a Career Achievement Award for him at an October 2 ceremony in Beverly Hills, recognizing over four decades of work. Born in Bogotá and raised in New York, Leguizamo built most of that career in the United States.
The São Paulo festival, known locally as the Mostra, has a long record of welcoming international guests. It began with 16 features and seven shorts from 17 countries and grew into a citywide event. Its history is one of constant battle against censorship, arbitrary laws and cultural neglect. Festival directors Leon Cakoff and Renata de Almeida once made a short film about Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami during a visit to the city.
