Protagonists
of European Cinema

A section dedicated to key figures in European cinema. Curated by Massimo Causo, the tribute includes a retrospective of the honoree's most significant films, a public talk, and the presentation of the Golden Olive Tree Lifetime Achievement Award—a distinction reserved for masters who have left an indelible mark on the history of cinema.

Previous editions in Lecce have hosted Carlos Saura, Otar Iosseliani, Theo Angelopoulos, Costa-Gavras, Emir Kusturica, Aki Kaurismaki, Marco Bellocchio, Danis Tanovic, Fatih Akin, Bertrand Tavernier, Krzysztof Zanussi, Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Agnieszka Holland, Stephen Frears, Ildikò Enyedi, Michael Winterbottom, Alexander Sokurov, Olivier Assayas, István Szabó, Claire Denis, Roman Polanski, Ken Loach, and—last year—Lars von Trier.

Jeremy Irons, an icon of world cinema and one of the few actors to achieve the prestigious "Triple Crown of Acting" – an Academy Award, an Emmy Award, and a Tony Award – boasts a career spanning over fifty years through great classics and collaborations with some of the most prominent international directors: from Karel Reisz's The French Lieutenant's Woman to Roland Joffé's The Mission, from David Cronenberg's Dead Ringers and M. Butterfly to Barbet Schroeder's Reversal of Fortune—the performance that earned him the Oscar for Best Actor—as well as Bernardo Bertolucci's Stealing Beauty, and Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven and House of Gucci. His filmography also includes Adrian Lyne's Lolita, Randall Wallace's The Man in the Iron Mask, Bille August's The House of the Spirits, Louis Malle's Damage, Zack Snyder's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League, and Ed Harris's Appaloosa (2008). Equally significant is his television career, which allowed him to further expand his acting repertoire. For the miniseries Elizabeth I, directed by Tom Hooper, he received the Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie, while his work on Broadway earned him a Tony Award, completing one of the most prestigious trifectas in the history of acting.
Scheduled films