Shawn Levy

Source: Guy Aroch / Netflix

Shawn Levy

Director-producer Shawn Levy will receive the inaugural Norman Jewison Award at the TIFF Tribute Awards gala fundraiser in Toronto on September 10.

Named after the celebrated Canadian director, the award presented by The Budman Family recognises “Canadians in the film industry who have made a global impact with their careers”.

TIFF will present the first two episodes of Levy’s All The Light We Cannot See in its Primetime section. The Netflix series is set in Occupied France during the Second World War and was co-created with Steven Knight.

Montreal-born Levy directed the hit Night At The Museum family franchise as well as episodes of Netflix smash Stranger Things. His directing credits include Free Guy and The Adam Project, and among his producer credits are sci-fi Arrival through his 21 Laps, and the upcoming Deadpool 3.

“We’re honoured to present this new Award, named after legendary Canadian filmmaker Norman Jewison, whose commitment to developing Canadian cinema and impact on the global stage is unmatched,” said TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey. “With a multi-faceted career spanning over three decades, Shawn Levy has become one of the most versatile filmmakers and storytellers of his generation, and we’re thrilled for him to be the inaugural recipient of this Award.”

Levy joins the recently announced 2023 TIFF Tribute Award honourees Pedro Almodóvar (Jeff Skoll Award in Impact Media), and Spike Lee (recipient of the TIFF Ebert Director Award).

TIFF can present an award to an actor despite the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike although only in the form of a career achievement award.

Past honourees include last year’s Oscar lead acting winners Michelle Yeoh and Brendan Fraser, as well as Jessica Chastain, Roger Deakins, Anthony Hopkins, Joaquin Phoenix, Taika Waititi, and Chloé Zhao.

Now in its fifth year, the Tribute Awards gala presented by Bulgari is TIFF’s largest annual fundraiser and raised $1.3m in 2022. This year’s gala will support the Viola Desmond Cinema campaign, which launched through the Every Story Fund in 2022.

Topics