Kevin Spacey to get some random lifetime achievement award from Italy

Kevin Spacey is being awarded in Taormina, but not at the Taormina Film Festival. Instead, he’s getting Italy’s Nations Award for Lifetime Achievement at a “special gala” where he will also give an onstage performance…? The award “is organized under the patronage of the Italian Senate and the state of Sicily,” according to The Hollywood Reporter, and is being bestowed upon the controversial star for no other reason than Italy just really loves Kevin Spacey, apparently.

Seriously: both Spacey’s comeback films (The Man Who Drew God and The Contract) have been Italian movies, and in 2023, he was given another lifetime achievement award by Italy’s National Cinema Museum in Turin. That particular event was organized in part by the museum’s head of international relations, Marco Fallanca, who was also involved in choosing the recipient for the Nations Award. For some reason, this guy is really invested in rehabilitating Spacey’s reputation after he has been accused of sexual assault and misconduct by dozens of men. “Kevin Spacey is a timeless monument in film and theater history, who unquestionably deserves the chance to get his career back,” award organizers Michel Curatolo and Fallanca said in a statement (via Deadline).

Although the Nations Award is entirely separate from the Taormina Film Festival, the organizers are clearly using the proximity to that event (the festival runs July 12 to the 19th, while this award is being given on the 21st) to increase its prestige: “Taormina is one of Italy’s oldest movie celebrations and it is a true privilege to witness a taste of a performance by one of the acting greats of our time,” Curatolo and Fallanca’s statement continues. “Both his audience and the industry miss his boundless talent every single day and we are extremely proud to stand with such an unparalleled artist.”

This year is the 18th edition of the Nations Award, which has a weird history of celebrating alleged sex pests—F. Murray Abraham (fired from Mythic Quest over sexual misconduct allegations) was awarded last year, and Gerard Depardieu and Woody Allen are among past recipients. According to its website, the award also strangely “puts environmental protection at the center, involving artists to draw attention for a greener and more sustainable world.” Does courting controversy increase visibility for environmental issues? The whole deal of this award just seems bizarre. Nevertheless, Italy is not alone in attempting to usher Spacey’s comeback. Liam Neeson and Sharon Stone are on his side, and he’s also going to be the guest of honor at the Golden Apricot Film Festival in Yerevan, Armenia, which begins on July 7.