10 · 22 · 23 Willem Dafoe Receives the Award for Artistic Excellence at the 21st FICM Share with twitter Share with facebook Share with mail Copy to clipboard Gustavo R. Gallardo Legendary U.S. actor Willem Dafoe received the Award for Artistic Excellence from the 21st edition of the Morelia International Film Festival (FICM). The award is a sculpture by Michoacán artist Javier Marín. Willem Dafoe The event took place at Cinépolis Morelia Centro's screening room 4 with the presence of FICM President Alejandro Ramírez, founder and General Director Daniela Michel and Vice President Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas Batel. Daniela Michel read some words she wrote especially for Willem Dafoe, whom she referred to as "a very dear, respected and loyal friend of FICM." The festival director recognized his versatility as an actor "and his chameleon-like ability to play different roles and bring to life both the common man and epic characters, in both commercial films and those directed by some of cinema's greatest rebels. Willem Dafoe The festival's director added that other reasons for giving him the Award for Artistic Excellence include "his humility as a person and his kindness, despite having one of the most recognizable faces in the world." On the verge of tears, actor Willem Dafoe said he was very moved by the acknowledgement given to him by the festival, as well as by the hospitality that Morelia has extended to him the three times he has been a guest at the festival. "Cinema is in the blood of the people of Mexico (...) I am very happy to be part of this and I am very grateful for this recognition," he said, visibly moved. This is the fifth time that FICM has presented the Award for Artistic Excellence. It was first awarded to Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón in 2018, followed by Robert Redford, Claire Denis and Alejandro G. Iñárritu.
