Penélope Cruz received the TIFF Special Tribute Award at a ceremony on September 13 at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel. TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey described the honor as recognizing those who have demonstrated "a profound impact on screen storytelling."
The award preceded the North American premiere of "Bunker" at the festival. Written and directed by Florian Zeller, the film stars Cruz as Sofia, a woman whose 17-year marriage begins to fracture when her architect husband Miguel, played by Javier Bardem, accepts a commission to build a survivalist bunker for a tech billionaire. Stephen Graham, Paul Dano, and Patrick Schwarzenegger also appear. Sony Pictures Classics holds North American distribution rights.
"Bunker" had its world premiere in competition at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival on September 8, where it drew a standing ovation exceeding 15 minutes, according to reports. Critical reception has since divided: the film holds a 48 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 21 critics and a 50 out of 100 on Metacritic. The performances from Cruz and Bardem have received consistent praise across otherwise mixed notices of the script.
Cruz arrives at TIFF with a second feature: "La Bola Negra," directed by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi. Two films. One tribute. The awards race will determine what to do with that.
