'Zero Dark Thirty' Star Jessica Chastain to Be Honored at Italy's Giffoni Fest

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Jessica Chastain

Giffoni, Europe's oldest and largest film festival for young people, will present Chastain with its highest honor.

ROME – Jessica Chastain, who burst into stardom with back-to-back Oscar nominations the past two years, will be the guest of honor at the 43rd edition of the Giffoni Film Festival, organizers announced Friday.

Chastain, who earned a supporting actress Oscar nomination in 2011 for The Help, followed by a nom as best actress in Kathryn Bigelow’s acclaimed thriller about the death of Osama bin Laden, Zero Dark Thirty, will be given the Giffoni Experience Award, the festival’s most prestigious honor.
Giffoni, which takes place in the historic and picturesque Italian village of Giffoni Valle Piana, near Naples, is the oldest and largest children’s film festival in Europe. It is one of the most popular fests in Italy in terms of attendance, with as many at 100,000 attendees expected.
Festival officials praised Chastain, calling the 36-year-old actress an “elegant and graceful diva who recalls another era.”
The festival previously announced that, among others, it would also honor Italian actor Giancarlo Giannini, whose credits include two films from the James Bond franchise: Casino Royal (2006) and Quantum of Solace (2008).
The Giffoni event will take place July 19-28; Chastain will be honored July 21.