Helen Mirren. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

The multi-award-winning British actress Dame Helen Mirren will be given the achievement award at the 40th Jerusalem Film Festival (JFF), which opens on July 13 with the Israel premiere of her new film Golda about former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir.

“The mere mention of Helen Mirren’s name inspires awe and anticipation for each one of her new films,” JFF said in a released statement. “Our anticipation is doubled, as she honors us with her presence to mark her appearance in the role of one of the most significant figures in Israeli history, Golda Meir. We are thrilled to take this opportunity to honor her for her illustrious career.” The film festival also praised Mirren’s “versatility and professionalism,” as they “contributed to her iconic status and cross-generational popularity.”

Mirren has already received an Oscar, BAFTA, Emmy, Tony, as well as the best actress award twice at the Cannes Film Festival and once at the Venice Film Festival. She has played iconic female figures and leaders in history many times in the past, including Queen Charlotte in the 1995 comedy The Madness of King George, Queen Elizabeth I in the 2005 miniseries titled Elizabeth 1 and Queen Elizabeth II in the 2006 historical drama The Queen.

Golda, directed by Guy Nattiv and also starring Liev Schreiber as former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, had its world premiere at the 2023 Berlin Film Festival on February 20 and the film will be released in the US and UK on August 25, with special screenings held two days prior that will include a Q&A with Nattiv and Mirren. The film from Bleecker Street and ShivHans Pictures is based on a true story and set against the backdrop of the 1973 Yom Kippur War. It shows Meir being forced to make difficult decisions as the leader of Israel, as millions of lives are on the line, while also dealing with skeptical all-male cabinet members and balancing her relationship with Kissinger.

Meir, nicknamed the “Iron Lady of Israel,” was the world’s fourth and Israel’s first and only female prime minister, and the first of any country in the Middle East. She died in 1978 of lymphoma, four years after leaving office.

Mirren and Schreiber will both attend the Jerusalem Film Festival along with an array of award-winning actors and directors including confirmed guests Oliver Stone, the Dardenne brothers and director Claire Denis. More than 200 films will screen at the festival.

The Golda Summer Project will launch on Aug. 1 as a partnership between the Golda Meir House Museum in Denver and US-based, Jewish and Israel organizations, to teach others about the former prime minister and Israel’s history in the 1960s and 70s. The initiative includes the sharing of videos about those topics as well as “Golda Shabbat parsha sheets” that can be downloaded and printed to use for conversations over Shabbat.

Watch a clip from Golda below.