British film producer Tessa Ross will receive the Industry Lifetime Achievement Award at the 21st edition of the Rome Film Fest, scheduled from 13 to 25 October. The announcement was made in a statement by the President of the Fondazione Cinema per Roma, Salvatore Nastasi, on the proposal of Artistic Director Paola Malanga.
Established last year, the award honours personalities from the global film industry who, through their careers, have left an indelible mark on the history of cinema.
Tessa Ross, Oscar nominee for Conclave, winner of the Bafta award for "outstanding British contribution to cinema", and executive producer of hits such as Slumdog Millionaire, The Last King of Scotland, 12 Years a Slave and The Zone of Interest, will receive the award on Tuesday 13 October, during the opening night of the 2026 Fest. The award will be presented by director Edward Berger, with whom the producer collaborated on the film Conclave, which premiered at the Fest in 2024.
Tessa Ross is CEO of House Productions, the film and television production company she co-founded in 2016. Among her most notable film productions are Bird, by Oscar-winning director Andrea Arnold; The Iron Claw, written and directed by Sean Durkin; The Wonder by Sebastián Lelio, nominated for Bafta awards; and Conclave by Oscar-winning director Edward Berger. Upcoming films include Ink, written by James Graham and directed by Danny Boyle, and Sweetsick by Alice Birch. Ross also served as executive producer on Oscar-winning director Jonathan Glazer's The Zone of Interest, and on Oscar-winning director Peter Jackson's documentary They Shall Not Grow Old. She was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2010 New Year Honours List and received the Bafta award for "outstanding British contribution to cinema" in 2013.
Reproduction reserved © Copyright ANSA