Theresa Russell celebrated with Joseph Plateau Honorary Award
Russell served as the president of the International Jury during the 52nd edition and was also honoured in the Classics programme dedicated to Nicolas Roeg, Fractured Visions: A Nicolas Roeg Retrospective. With fourteen films, Classics curator Patrick Duynslaegher presents a retrospective that clearly shows how the creative cross-pollination between director and actress led to some of the most intense and groundbreaking films in British cinema. After the screening of Bad Timing, Duynslaegher spoke with Russell during an Actor's Talk about her career, life and work. She then received the Joseph Plateau Honorary Award.
A Versatile and Fearless Actress
Theresa Russell was born in 1957 in San Diego, California. At the age of nineteen, she made her screen debut in Elia Kazan’s The Last Tycoon (1976), appearing alongside Robert De Niro, Jeanne Moreau, and Robert Mitchum. Her natural presence and ability to embody layered, often complex characters quickly established her as one of the most remarkable young actresses of her generation.
In the decades that followed, Russell built a career that defied convention. She consistently chose challenging roles that balanced sensuality and vulnerability, intellect and emotion. She shone in Black Widow (1987, Bob Rafelson), Whore (1991, Ken Russell), Kafka (1991, Steven Soderbergh), and Wild Things (1998, John McNaughton), films that each reaffirmed her range and courage. She also remained a steady presence in independent productions and television series, including The Believer (2001, Henry Bean) and Jolene (2008, Dan Ireland), where she starred alongside emerging talents such as Ryan Gosling and Jessica Chastain.
Alongside her singular trajectory in American film history, Russell also gained international recognition through her close collaboration with her then-husband, British director Nicolas Roeg. Together they made six films, including the controversial and visionary Bad Timing (1980), the spiritual epic Eureka (1983), and the psychosexual drama Track 29 (1988). While Roeg is often celebrated as a visionary filmmaker, it is increasingly acknowledged how profoundly Russell helped shape and enrich his oeuvre with her bold performances.
Joseph Plateau Honorary Award
Theresa Russell received the Joseph Plateau Honorary Award after an Actor's Talk, in which she looked back on the milestones of her career. Prior to the talk, Film Fest Gent screened the film Bad Timing (1980, Nicolas Roeg).
Previous recipients include Michel Khleifi (2024), Emily Watson (2024), Ryûsuke Hamaguchi (2023), Céline Sciamma (2022), Andrea Arnold (2021), Viggo Mortensen (2020), and Agnès Varda (2006)