Tokyo Arts Prize: Cate Blanchett Accepts Praemium Imperiale
The actress received 15 million yen and a medal at a ceremony in Japan's capital, citing creative doubt as essential to her work.
By Rosa Kovalenko ·
Japan's top arts honor was presented to a new group of recipients on Wednesday in Tokyo. The Praemium Imperiale, awarded by the Japan Art Association, recognizes lifetime achievement across painting, sculpture, architecture, music, and theater or film.
Two-time Oscar winner Cate Blanchett received the award in the theater and film category. The ceremony took place at the Meiji Kinenkan in the Moto-Akasaka district. Princess Hitachi presented Blanchett with her medal. Each winner also received a testimonial letter and an honorarium of 15 million yen, which is just under 100,000 dollars.
Blanchett joined a list of past recipients that includes Federico Fellini, Akira Kurosawa, Jean-Luc Godard, Martin Scorsese, Judi Dench, and Catherine Deneuve. Ang Lee, a Hollywood director, was the last American-associated winner in 2024. This year's other laureates are American artist Jenny Holzer, British sculptor Andy Goldsworthy, American architect Daniel Libeskind, and Swedish conductor Herbert Blomstedt.
During a news conference, Blanchett discussed the role of uncertainty in artistic creation. She said doubt is vital to the creative process. "It's what starts the challenge, the questioning, the exploration," Blanchett said. "It allows conversation and connection. It allows change."
The actress described acting as a profession that can fail through literalness but succeed by leaving audiences speechless. She explained that her creative starting point is the gap between what a character says and what they cannot convey. "I always look for meaning, for opportunity in the spaces between what is said, in what is not said," she said.
Hillary Clinton, the former U.S. Secretary of State and the prize's international adviser, attended the press conference. Clinton stated that the prize declares artists essential to society. She emphasized the need to bolster the arts while managing the risks of artificial intelligence. "It's also, I think, even more essential that we bolster the arts in a time when we are facing the transformations being brought about by artificial intelligence," Clinton said.
Blanchett will remain in Japan for the 39th Tokyo International Film Festival, which runs through November 4. On Friday, she will join filmmakers Mohammad Rasoulof and Shahrbanoo Sadat for a question and answer session following the Japanese premieres of five shorts from the Displacement Film Fund. She will also appear with directors David and Nathan Zellner to discuss their film Alpha Gang. Blanchett called the award a beautiful surprise and a deep honor.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
