Image Source: Sada EI balad
The Oscar-nominated, "Sound of Metal" actor, Riz Ahmed, who has made his way into the industry along with people’s hearts, is going to be honored with the Richard Harris Award, which is given to actors who have "contributed significantly to British films throughout their career." The ceremony will be held on December 5th, 2021, in London.
The Richard Harris Award is one of the British Independent Film Award’s top honors at this year’s ceremony and the actor is going to join the ranks of actors like Kristin Scott Thomas, Judi Dench, Vanessa Redgrave, Daniel Day-Lewis, Helena Bonham Carter, Julie Walters, John Hurt, Emma Thompson, Glenda Jackson, Jim Broadbent, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and John Hurt.
Riz Ahmed, who debuted in the industry with Micahel Winterbotoom’s "Road to Guantánamo" in 2006, rose to fame with his incredible movie choices and actions, which included Nightcrawler, Rogue One, Jason Bourne, Venom, and most recently, Sound of Metal. The actor has received eight British Independent Film Award nominations over the years, including best debut screenwriter for "Mogul Mowgli" and best British short film for "The Long Goodbye." This year, Riz is nominated for best actor for Michael Pearce's "Encounter."
Riz Ahmed said, "I am grateful to the British Independent Film community for their immense support throughout all these years. Receiving the Richard Harris Award at the BIFAs this year is a true honor. I hope to be able to continue to learn from those who came before me while encouraging the rising generation to follow their creative dreams. " The actor has grown to be one of the most prominent British advocates for diversity on-screen after launching a new initiative for Muslim representation in the media.
A still from 'Sound of Metal'. Image Source: Daily Sabah
Damian Harris, son of Richard Harris of the Richard Harris Award, said about the actor, "Riz has already had an extremely impressive career, as an actor, producer, and activist. He is a worthy winner of the Richard Harris award for his work and contribution to British independent film". The British Independent Film Awards jury said, "In all that he does, Riz demonstrates that an actor’s contributions need not be confined to the dimensions of the screen. The choices he makes both as a filmmaker and as a performer and as an activist highlight his continued commitment to building an industry that better represents the audiences it serves. We’re delighted that Riz is accepting this year’s Richard Harris Award in recognition of his outstanding work, both on-screen and off. "
Talking about 'Encounter', for which Riz Ahmed is nominated under the best actor category, Riz mentioned that "you don't often see a family that looks like this, in a movie like this." The movie Encounter is about an ex-Marine who is trying to save his young sons from a virus, which was possibly triggered when an asteroid crashed into the earth and their already infected mother. The movie is directed by Michael Pearce.
Michael Pearce says, "The character's ethnicity was never decided in the script, so a lot of those encounters were already there. When Joe (Barton, the co-writer) had written the script, and when I did a redraft, it was just something that Riz and I talked about when we met and discussed the project. One clear thing was that the level of tension was going to be escalated with those encounters, and we could sometimes do that with a very light touch. I think the audience is going to bring a lot of context to those encounters, and we can leave it to the audience in some places to bring their assumptions about how things are going to unfold. So it’s something that we were very cognizant of, and we made some modulating tweaks in the script, and we talked through all the nuances. But it was just one of those fortuitous things where I think at the beginning, as a default, I was looking for white actors because when you see these types of roles, it’s usually a white character saving his children from an alien threat. When I met Riz, we talked about all the nuances and layers in the story and what it means if it’s a South Asian character, other things become more amplified and vivid, kind of more layered and interesting".
Riz Ahmed plays Malik Kahn in the movie who embarks on a road trip with his two young sons to get them to safety as they face confrontations with gun-toting white police officers and vigilantes. Riz said, "I think it’s one of those things where it wasn’t a focus, but whenever you cast any actor in a role, they bring certain things with them. And I think it just emerged as we were shooting it. We realized that you don’t often see a family that looks, in a movie like this, in a story like this, in situations like this. What does that mean? How does that challenge the audience? How does that add new layers and texture? "
Encounter is going to be released in cinemas on Friday, December 3rd, 2021, and will be available on Amazon Prime from December 10th, 2021. Last month, Riz Ahmed also opened up about how British culture does not have a "blind spot" for lack of diversity in its interviews with GQ. He said, "It's not surprising, but it is shocking. It's a blind spot that's all over our culture. And it costs lives. Countries get invaded, hate crimes go up, laws get passed. So off the back of that, we're thinking, 'What do we need to shift?' And it's about empowering people to tell their own stories. "
Congratulations to the actor on the Richard Harris Award.
