The Kinéo Awards, a long-running sidebar of the Venice Film Festival dedicated to recognizing international film talent, will this year honor two very different generations of screen presence: legendary actress Faye Dunaway and rising star Nicola Peltz Beckham. The announcement, made ahead of the festival’s 2026 edition, positions the ceremony as a highlight of the event’s opening days, blending classic Hollywood pedigree with contemporary celebrity appeal.
Dunaway, whose career spans over six decades and includes iconic turns in Bonnie and Clyde, Chinatown, and Network, will receive a career achievement honor. The 85-year-old Oscar winner remains one of the most studied and imitated figures in American cinema, known for her intense, uncompromising performances that redefined the scope of leading ladies in the 1970s. Her attendance in Venice marks a rare public appearance in recent years, adding considerable weight to the ceremony’s prestige. Organizers have framed her recognition as a tribute to an artist who consistently defied studio conventions, paving the way for more complex female roles in Hollywood.
Peltz Beckham, on the other hand, represents the industry’s new wave, equally at home in independent features and high-profile commercial projects. The actress, who gained widespread attention for her role in Transformers: Age of Extinction and more recently for her work in Lola’s and the horror-thriller The Bride, will be honored with the Kinéo Rising Star Award. The distinction acknowledges her steady evolution from model and heiress into a serious acting contender, as well as her expanding role as a producer. Her inclusion also brings a significant social media footprint to the event, which has increasingly leveraged celebrity wattage to boost its global profile alongside the main festival competition.
The Kinéo Awards have historically served as a more intimate counterpoint to the frenzy of the Lido, offering a space where artists, critics, and industry insiders can mingle outside the glare of the official red carpets. Established in the early 2000s, the awards have a tradition of spotlighting talents who may not be in the running for the Golden Lion but whose work nonetheless shapes the cinematic landscape. Past honorees have included a mix of international auteurs, breakout performers, and established stars looking to reconnect with European audiences.
This year’s pairing is particularly strategic for the festival’s organizers. Dunaway’s presence appeals to cinephiles and older festivalgoers who revere the golden era of New Hollywood, while Peltz Beckham draws in younger viewers and tabloid media, thanks to her marriage to Brooklyn Beckham and her prominent presence in fashion circles. The contrast is not lost on industry observers, who see the lineup as a deliberate attempt to bridge generational divides in film appreciation.
For Dunaway, who has had a complicated relationship with the press and public events over the years, the Venice stop is a notable engagement. She has remained selective in her public appearances, focusing instead on stage work and occasional film roles. Her last major on-screen performance was in the 2017 neo-noir The Bye Bye Man, and she starred opposite Alfre Woodard in the 2020 drama The World to Come, though that film’s release was overshadowed by the pandemic. The Kinéo honor, therefore, functions as a celebration of her entire body of work, with Italian audiences having historically embraced her European art-house ventures, such as The Towering Inferno and Mommie Dearest, which found devoted cult followings abroad.
Peltz Beckham’s upcoming slate includes a producing credit on an untitled project with her husband, positioning her as a dual threat in front of and behind the camera. Her Kinéo recognition signals that the festival sees beyond her tabloid presence, acknowledging a genuine, if still developing, commitment to the craft. In a statement prepared for the ceremony, she expressed gratitude for the international recognition, noting that Venice has always felt like a home for bold storytelling.
The ceremony itself is scheduled to take place at the historic Hotel Excelsior on the Lido, a traditional venue for festival events. While the specific date within the festival window has not been finalized, it is expected to fall during the first weekend, maximizing media coverage. The event will also feature a short retrospective clip reel for Dunaway, curated by Italian film historians, alongside a presentation of Peltz Beckham’s recent work.
Beyond the two headliners, the Kinéo Awards are expected to announce several other honors in the coming weeks, including awards for cinematography and screenwriting. The selections are made by a panel of film journalists and festival programmers, independent of the main Venice jury. This separation allows the Kinéo to take creative risks, often predicting breakout trends a year before they hit the mainstream. With Dunaway and Peltz Beckham at the helm, this year’s event promises to be one of the most talked-about gatherings on the Lido, emblematic of a festival that continues to honor its past while aggressively courting its future.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter