13 March 2026
Every year Biografilm celebrates a personality who has left an indelible mark on documentary cinema and on storytelling rooted in real life. For this year’s edition, alongside director Kaouther Ben Hania, the festival presents the Celebration of Lives Award to legendary casting director Bonnie Timmermann, just a few days after the first-ever Academy Award for Best Casting was presented in the history of the Academy Awards.
Over the course of her career, Timmermann has discovered and launched talents who went on to become international stars, including Natalie Portman, Kate Winslet, Scarlett Johansson, Bruce Willis, Steve Buscemi, Viggo Mortensen, Benicio del Toro and Mark Ruffalo. She also cast iconic films such as Trading Places, Carlito’s Way and Heat, one of the many titles she worked on with director Michael Mann.
To mark the award, the audience will have the chance to watch the documentary Bonnie: The Story of Hollywood's Godmother, directed by Simon Wallon, which retraces her extraordinary career and reveals her legendary instinct for recognizing talents destined to shape contemporary cinema.
Read the press release and the article in Variety here
