Sophie Okonedo will receive the Richard Harris Award at the 2024 British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs), organizers unveiled on Monday.
The Richard Harris Award recognizes the outstanding contribution of an actor to British film. Previous recipients of the honor include the likes of Samantha Morton, Riz Ahmed, Kristin Scott Thomas, Judi Dench, Vanessa Redgrave, Daniel Day-Lewis, Helena Bonham Carter, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Julie Walters, John Hurt, Emma Thompson, Jim Broadbent and, last year, Stephen Graham.
“Sophie’s celebrated career has seen her embrace both U.K. independent and Hollywood film and has taken her from the National Theatre to Broadway and back, with a significant body of acclaimed television roles in between,” the BIFAs organizers said in a statement. “Sophie’s work has been recognized by, amongst others, BIFA, BAFTA, the Academy, Tony, Olivier, Screen Actors Guild and Emmy Awards.”
They also highlighted: “Her versatility as a performer has seen her in demand across all film genres, taking on a range of major roles including as the tragic May Boatwright in Gina Prince-Bythewood’s The Secret Life of Bees (2008) and Sandra Laing in Skin (2008, dir. Anthony Fabien), the true story of a family’s fight to reclassify their daughter Sandra’s race in apartheid South Africa, for which Sophie earned a second BIFA nomination, this time for best actress. She starred with Jessie Buckley in Tom Harper’s hit Wild Rose (2018), was a mysterious seer in Neil Marshall’s 2019 Hellboy reboot, and a 1920s diva in Kenneth Branagh’s 2022 Death on the Nile. In 2022, Sophie joined Bella Ramsey and Andrew Scott in Lena Dunham’s medieval coming-of-age romp Catherine Called Birdy.”
The 27th British Independent Film Awards take place on Sunday, Dec. 8 at The Roundhouse in London.
