Luca Guadagnino to receive 2023 Sundance Film Festival International Icon award

Call Me By Your Name director Luca Guadagnino will be honoured with the International Icon award at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, it has been announced.

The Oscar-nominated filmmaker will be presented with the accolade on the opening night of the festival on January 19, in Park City, Utah.

The award recognises “an international auteur who creates distinctive cinematic universes and has made a lasting impact on filmmaking, most notably through a commitment to storytelling and an unwavering creative vision”.

As well as his 2017 film, starring Timothee Chalamet and Armie Hammer, Guadagnino is also known for work including Suspiria, A Bigger Splash, and I Am Love.

His most recent film Bones And All, a cannibal coming-of-age romance story, also starring Chalamet and Taylor Russell, premiered earlier this year at the Venice Film Festival.

The director has strong roots in the Sundance community going back over a decade, making his debut at the festival in 2010 with I Am Love.

He has won and been nominated for several awards, including Venice Film Festival, Golden Lion BAFTA Award for Best Direction, and Nastro d’Argento for Best Director.

“Sundance has always felt like home for me; I have been to the festival four times,” said Guadagnino.

“I particularly remember how warmly the festival received Call Me By Your Name and how that changed my life.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled to be honoured to be receiving this award.”

“Luca Guadagnino is a true visionary of cinema and we are thrilled to honour him with this special award,” said Joana Vicente, Sundance Institute chief executive.

“Whether it’s with writing, directing, or producing, he has had an undeniable impact, not only on the Sundance Film Festival community, but the film industry as a whole with his unique storytelling abilities.”

The 2023 Sundance Film Festival will take place from January 19 to 29 in person in Park City, Salt Lake City, Utah.