The Silver Medallion is an award given by the Telluride Film Festival in recognition of yearly achievements in the film industry.
History The first Silver Medallions were awarded in 1974 at the 1st Telluride Film Festival. They are made of pure silver and the design has never changed, featuring the emblematic "SHOW" logo on their face. The presentation of the medallion is preceded by a clip reel, full feature and/or on stage interview. Traditionally, three Silver Medallions are given out each year, with a few exceptions where numerous people from a specific category were paid the honor. Since 1981, a fourth Silver Medallion, the Special Medallion, has been awarded to a hero of cinema, a filmmaker, historian, critic, or organization dedicated to the celebration and preservation of film as an art.
Honorees
1970s Year Recipient Profession Nationality 1974Francis Ford CoppolaFilmmaker United StatesGloria SwansonActressLeni RiefenstahlFilmmaker West Germany1975Henry KingUnited StatesJack NicholsonActorWerner HerzogFilmmaker West Germany1976Chuck JonesAnimatorUnited StatesKing KongFictional characterKing VidorFilmmaker 1977Agnes VardaFranceBen CarréPainterMichael PowellFilmmaker United Kingdom1978The Czech New WaveJaromil JirešCzechoslovakia Pavel JurácekJan NemecIvan PasserHal RoachUnited StatesSterling HaydenActor1979Abel GanceFilmmaker FranceKlaus KinskiActorWest GermanyRobert WiseFilmmaker United States
1980s Year Recipient Profession Nationality 1980Karl StraussBrewerGermany, United StatesMaurice PialatFilmmaker FranceRobert AltmanUnited States1981The Character ActorElisha CookActorJohn CarrdineMargaret HamiltonActressWoody StrodeActorCarlos DieguesFilmmakerBrazilDusan MakavejevYugoslavia1982Athol FugardWriterSouth AfricaJoel McCreaActorUnited StatesPierre BraunbergerActor and producerFrance1983Andrei TarkovskyFilmmakerSoviet UnionLuis TrenkerFilmmaker, producer and actorItalyRichard WidmarkActor and producerUnited States1984Andrzej WajdaFilmmakerPolandHenry HathawayFilmmakerUnited StatesJanet LeighActress1985Alexander TraunerProduction designerHungaryEmilio FernandezFilmmakerMexicoHanna SchygullaActressWest Germany1986Alexander MackendrickFilmmakerUnited KingdomIsabelle HuppertActressFranceJirí MenzelFilmmakerCzechoslovakia1987Don SiegelUnited StatesTenghiz AbuladzeSoviet UnionStephen FrearsUnited Kingdom1988Cab CallowayMusicianUnited StatesPedro AlmodóvarFilmmakerSpainThe Xi'an StudioStudioChina1989Dennis PotterWriterUnited KingdomPeter GreenawayFilmmakerShohei ImamuraJapan
1990s Year Recipient Profession Nationality Ref.1990Clint EastwoodActor and filmmakerUnited StatesGérard DepardieuActorFranceJohn BerryFilmmakerUnited States1991Jodie FosterActressNature's FilmmakersMarion ZunzFilmmakerPaul AtkinsPeter JonesSven NykvistCinematographer Switzerland1992Cy EndfieldFilmmakerUnited States, United KingdomElmer BernsteinComposerUnited StatesHarvey KeitelActor1993Jennifer Jason LeighActressJohn AltonCinematographer Hungary, United StatesKen LoachFilmmakerUnited Kingdom1994Harriet AnderssonActressSwedenJudy DavisAustraliaKen BurnsFilmmakerUnited States1995John SchlesingerFilmmakerUnited KingdomThe SurrealistsGuy MaddinCanadaJan SvankmajerCzech RepublicStephen QuayUnited StatesTimothy QuayZhang YimouChina1996Alain CavalierFranceMike LeighUnited KingdomShirley MacLaineActressUnited States1997Alexander SokurovFilmmakerRussiaHorton FooteWriterUnited StatesNeil JordanFilmmakerIreland1998Meryl StreepActressUnited StatesSusumu HaniFilmmakerJapanVittorio StoraroCinematographerItaly1999Catherine DeneuveActressFranceDavid LynchFilmmakerUnited StatesPhilip GlassComposer
2000s Year Recipient Profession Nationality Ref.2000Ang LeeFilmmakerTaiwanIm Kwon-taekSouth KoreaStellan SkarsgardActorSweden2001Catherine BreillatFilmmakerFranceKen RussellUnited KingdomOm PuriActorIndia2002D.A. PennebakerFilmmakerUnited StatesPaul SchraderPeter O'TooleActorUnited Kingdom2003Krzysztof ZanussiFilmmakerPolandPeter BrookUnited KingdomToni ColletteActressAustralia2004Jean-Claude CarrièreWriterFranceLaura LinneyActressUnited StatesTheodoros AngelopoulosFilmmakerGreece2005Charlotte RamplingActressUnited KingdomJean-Pierre and Luc DardenneFilmmakerBelgiumMickey RooneyActorUnited States2006Penélope CruzActressSpainRolf de HeerFilmmakerAustralia, NetherlandsWalter MurchEditor and sound designerUnited States2007Daniel Day-LewisActorUnited KingdomMichel LegrandComposerFranceShyam BenegalFilmmakerIndia2008David FincherUnited StatesJan TroellSwedenJean SimmonsActressUnited States2009Anouk AiméeFranceMargarethe von TrottaFilmmakerGermanyViggo MortensenActorUnited States
2010s Year Recipient Profession Nationality Ref.2010Claudia CardinaleActressItaly, TunisiaColin FirthActorUnited KingdomPeter WeirFilmmakerAustralia2011George ClooneyActor and filmmakerUnited StatesPierre ÉtaixFilmmaker and comedianFranceTilda SwintonActressUnited Kingdom2012Roger CormanFilmmakerUnited StatesMads MikkelsenActorDenmarkMarion CotillardActressFrance2013Ethan and Joel CoenFilmmakerUnited StatesMohammad RasoulofIranRobert RedfordActor and filmmakerUnited StatesT Bone BurnettComposer and producer2014Apocalypse NowFeature filmHilary SwankActressVolker SchlöndorffFilmmakerGermany2015Adam CurtisUnited KingdomDanny BoyleRooney MaraActressUnited States2016Amy AdamsCasey AffleckActorPablo LarraínFilmmakerChile2017Christian BaleActorUnited KingdomEdward LachmanCinematographerUnited States2018Alfonso CuarónFilmmakerMexicoEmma StoneActressUnited StatesRithy PanhFilmmakerCambodia2019Adam DriverActorUnited StatesPhilip KaufmanFilmmakerRenée ZellwegerActress
2020s Year Recipient Profession Nationality Ref.2020(cancelled)Anthony HopkinsActorUnited KingdomChloé ZhaoFilmmakerUnited StatesKate WinsletActressUnited Kingdom2021Jane CampionFilmmakerNew ZelandPeter DinklageActorUnited StatesRiz AhmedUnited Kingdom2022Cate BlanchettActressAustraliaMark CousinsFilmmakerUnited KingdomSarah PolleyUnited States2023Alice RohrwacherItalyYorgos LanthimosGreeceWim WendersGermany2024Jacques AudiardFranceSaoirse RonanActressIrelandThelma SchoonmakerEditorUnited States2025Ethan HawkeActorJafar PanahiFilmmakerIranNoah BaumbachUnited States2026Andrew HaighUnited KingdomJohn MalkovichActorUnited StatesSandra HüllerActressGermany
Special Medallion The first ever Special Medallion was only awarded in 1981.
1980s YearRecipientsProfessionNationality1981Kevin BrownlowFilmmakerUnited KingdomStan BrakhageUnited States1983Irwin YoungBusinessman 1984Joseph LoseyFilmmaker1985Paul KohnerAgent and producerAustria, United States1989William K. EversonHistorianUnited States
1990s YearRecipientsProfessionNationality1990Manny FarberPainter, film critic and writerUnited States1992Pierre RissientFilmmakerFrance1993Stefan JarlSwedenArne Sucksdorff1994Ninon SevillaActressCuba, Mexico1995Andrew SarrisFilm criticUnited States1996Roger MayerExecutive1997Milos StehlikArt historian1998Stanley KauffmannWriterChris ReynaActorUnited Kingdom1999ArenaTV series
2000s YearRecipientsProfessionNationalityRef.2000Elmore LeonardWriterUnited StatesSerge SilbermanProducerFrance2001HBOTelevision networkUnited States2002PositifFilm magazineFrance2003Ted TurnerMedia mogulUnited States2004Fred RoosProducer2005The Criterion CollectionHome video distribution companyJanus FilmsFilm distributor2006David ThomsonFilm criticUnited Kingdom2007Leonard MaltinUnited States2008Richard SchickelFilm scholar2009Serge BrombergProducer
2010s YearRecipientsProfessionNationalityRef.2010UCLA Film & Television ArchiveFilm and television archiveUnited States2011Sight and SoundFilm magazineUnited Kingdom2012Boston Light & SoundAudio visual equipment supplierUnited StatesC. Chapin Cutler Jr.Executive2013Alejandro RamirezPresident of the Morelia International Film FestivalMexico2014Cineteca de BolognaFilm archiveItalyGian Luca FarinelliFilm archivist2015Participant MediaProduction companyUnited States2017Katriel SchoryPresident of the Israel Film FundIsrael2018Dieter KosslickFilm criticGermany2019Dolby LaboratoriesAudio companyUnited States
2020s YearRecipientsProfessionNationalityRef.2021Annette InsdorfFilm historianUnited States2023The Film FoundationFilm preservation company2024Les Films du LosangeFilm production companyFrance2025Tessa RossProducerUnited Kingdom
References