Julianne Moore to Receive Rome Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award

Julianne Moore will receive a lifetime achievement award at the Rome Film Festival, which runs October 13–25, with "The Debut" director Jesse Eisenberg presenting the prize at the film's Italian premiere.

Salvatore Nastasi, president of the Fondazione Cinema per Roma, which oversees the festival, announced the honor in a statement.

The award caps a season of recognition for Moore. In September, she received the Zurich Film Festival's Golden Icon Award as "The Debut" launched internationally at the Swiss festival, following rave reviews at its Telluride premiere.

What is 'The Debut'?

The film marks Moore's second collaboration with Eisenberg, after his directorial debut "When You Finish Saving the World" (2022). "The Debut" is his third feature as a director.

Moore plays Mona Friedman, a shy, unassuming housewife cast in a bit part at a small community theater. She transforms into a zealous Method actor willing to do anything to protect the artistic integrity of her marginal role — even if it means waging war against the show's domineering director.

Variety chief film critic Owen Gleiberman praised the performance in his review. "At heart, the film is a twisted love letter to the glory of community theater," he wrote. "What holds it together is the suppleness of Eisenberg's voice as a writer-director (the wit that singes, the story that never stops poking around corners), and the utterly astonishing performance of Julianne Moore, who plays a crumpled wallflower in dire need of blooming. Oh, does she bloom."

What has Moore won before?

Moore's career spans the top prizes of the festival circuit and the Academy:

• Oscar win for "Still Alice"
• Oscar nominations for "Far From Heaven," "The Hours," "The End of the Affair" and "Boogie Nights"
• Best actress at Cannes for "Maps to the Stars"
• Best actress at Venice for "Far From Heaven"
• Best actress at Berlin for "The Hours"

The Rome ceremony in October will reunite Moore and Eisenberg on stage as the film begins its rollout beyond the festival circuit.