The 44th edition of the Torino film festival is set to turn its spotlight onto a name most associated with sun-kissed beaches and iconic television moments. Former Baywatch star Pamela Anderson will be presented with the festival’s coveted Stella della Mole award, a lifetime-achievement accolade that places her alongside celebrated figures such as Spike Lee, Antonio Banderas, Angelina Jolie and Sharon Stone. The ceremony, scheduled between 24 November and 2 December in the northern Italian city of Turin, will feature a conversation with Anderson preceding a special screening of Gia Coppola’s indie drama The Last Showgirl.
Organised by Italy’s National Film Museum, the Torino festival has built a reputation as a launchpad for emerging directors and avant-garde cinema. This year’s artistic director, Giulio Base, highlighted the paradox of familiarity and discovery that Anderson brings to the screen. “Movies can sometimes work wonders, like making us really meet for the first time someone we’ve known all our lives,” Base said. “With The Last Showgirl, Pamela Anderson gave us this experience. We thought we knew everything about her, but every gesture revealed a sensitivity as a performer that is both moving and surprising.”
Why “The Last Showgirl” matters
Giulia Coppola’s The Last Showgirl marked a significant turning point for Anderson, earning her a 2025 Golden Globe nomination and signaling a robust comeback after years away from headline-grabbing roles. The film’s understated narrative allows Anderson to shed the bombshell image cultivated by her early career, instead showcasing a nuanced emotional range that resonates with contemporary audiences. Critics have praised her ability to convey quiet desperation and fleeting hope without resorting to melodrama, a quality that Base believes redefines public perception of the iconic actress.
Recent roles illustrate a renewed momentum
Following the acclaim of The Last Showgirl, Anderson quickly returned to the mainstream with a supporting role alongside Liam Neeson in Paramount’s reboot of the slapstick classic The Naked Gun. The project, aimed at reviving 1990s comedy sensibilities for a new generation, placed Anderson in a decidedly different comedic arena, where her timing and dead-pan delivery earned commendations from both fans and industry insiders.
Simultaneously, she embraced the European art-house circuit, starring in Karim Aïnouz’s Berlin-premiered satire Rosebush Pruning. The ensemble piece, featuring Riley Keough, Elle Fanning and Jamie Bell, explores family dynamics through a darkly comic lens, and Anderson’s performance was highlighted as a “delightful contrast” to the film’s more somber tones. Later, she appeared at the Venice Film Festival in September as part of Kornél Mundruczó’s road-movie Place to Be, sharing the screen with Ellen Burstyn, Taika Waititi and Murray Bartlett, further cementing her versatility across genres and continents.
Upcoming projects signal a prolific future
Anderson’s schedule remains densely packed. She has just wrapped filming on Brian Klugman’s dramatic thriller Somedays, starring Billy Bob Thornton, where she plays a morally ambiguous character navigating a tangled web of family secrets. In addition, she is featured in Michael Cera’s directorial debut Love Is Not the Answer, an absurdist comedy that pairs her with Steve Coogan and Jamie Dornan in a narrative that examines love’s irrationality through a satirical framework. Finally, Sally Potter’s forthcoming period piece Alma sees Anderson alongside Richard E. Grant, offering yet another opportunity to display her dramatic chops in a story set against a richly textured historical backdrop.
With the Torino Festival’s ceremony on the horizon, Anderson’s involvement not only celebrates past achievements but also acts as a catalyst for the next chapter of her cinematic journey. As the festival continues its emphasis on female storytelling—highlighted by a program that includes ten women directors among sixteen competition entries—Anderson’s presence underscores a broader industry shift toward recognising multifaceted talent beyond typecast confines.
