Rome, 13 October (askanews) – Actress Susan Sarandon arrived in Rome to receive the 2026 Womenlands Excellence Award and present, with director Zach Woods, the film “The Accompanist,” in competition at the twenty-fourth edition of Alice nella città, the festival held in parallel with the Rome Film Fest, dedicated to new generations. Eighty years old, always on the front lines, recently arrested in New York during a demonstration near the Glass Palace against the presence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the American actress appeared at the conference wearing a red dress and a pin on her collar with the hand and heart symbol of the Artists4Ceasefire campaign (“Artists for Ceasefire”). She spoke about Gaza and how much it cost her in Hollywood to be a free actress who used her visibility to send important messages. “A lot of things happened because I used my visibility to talk about something that people were not aware of, because it had to do with people who did not have a voice,” she said, making a statement. For example, at the Oscars when she spoke about the Haitians detained in Guantanamo because they were HIV-positive, or about the war in Iraq – I was excluded from the Academy for several years, I even received death threats…
. But not saying something, when I have the ability to shed a little light on certain issues, it hurts me, it doesn't seem authentic to me and I believe it's essential to always be authentic" she said. Sarandon also took part in a meeting with the kids in Alice, after the award and the screening of the film in which she plays a lonely woman, marked by a great loss, who begins to take care of a little girl who is also alone and looking for a family.
And on how she has changed over the years, she said: "I turned 80 a few days ago, obviously I feel different, especially when I receive awards and they screen my films in which I see myself much younger... But I have also changed because of the responsibilities I feel towards my children. Because now I have grown-up children who understand what is happening, and I have more responsibilities towards them than when they were children." The film marks the directorial debut of Woods, (known for his roles in the series "Silicon Valley" and "The Office") and will be released on December 1st on Sky (with Bim) and for a fee on Prime, Google Play, Apple Play, Infinity and Chili.
Askanews