Naomi Ackie and Daryl McCormack Laureates of the 2023 Trophée Chopard

As official partner of the Cannes Film Festival since 1998, Chopard annually turns the spotlight on an actress and an actor making a promising start to their career thanks to the Trophée Chopard presented by an august godmother. Actress Naomi Ackie and actor Daryl McCormack are this year's winners. They will receive their awards from Natalie Portman, who has been requested by Caroline Scheufele to act as godmother of this 22nd ceremony. The official dinner will be held on May 19th in the Carlton Hotel’s Beach Club, at the joint invitation of Caroline Scheufele, Iris Knobloch (President of the Festival) and Thierry Frémaux (General Delegate of the Festival), and in the presence of numerous film professionals who will be there to toast the two winners.

After a worldwide search, EE BAFTA Rising Star nominee, BAFTA Television Award winner and British Independent Film award winner, now laureate of the 22nd Trophée Chopard Naomi Ackie was handpicked to take on the iconic role of global superstar Whitney Houston in Whitney Houston: I wanna dance with somebody, the acclaimed film about the late singer’s life, that was released December 2022. Naomi Ackie received a longlist nomination by BAFTA for Best Actress and was selected by Variety as a ‘Top Tier’ Contender for the Best Actress award at the 2023 Academy Awards for her ‘heartfelt, emotionally raw performance in the title role' (The Hollywood Reporter).

Naomi Ackie has completed filming a leading role in Zoe Kravitz’s directorial debut Pussy Island for MGM alongside Channing Tatum, Adria Ajona, Christian Slater and Geena Davis. Frida (played by Naomi Ackie) is a young, clever, Los Angeles cocktail waitress who has her eyes set on the prize: philanthropist and tech mogul Slater King (Tatum). She has also just recently completed filming Oscar-winning Parasite director Bong Joon Ho’s next feature for Warner Bros., Mickey 17 alongside Toni Collette, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Pattinson and Steven Yeun. The project, set for release in the US on the March 29th, 2024, will be based on Mickey7, a novel written by Edward Ashton.

Naomi Ackie’s next role will be in Morning, a Sci-Fi by Justin Kurzel set in a near-future society where a pill has done away with the need to sleep, that also stars Laura Dern, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Noah Jupe.

Laureate of the 22nd Trophée Chopard, Irish actor Daryl McCormack is well known for his lead role in British comedy-drama Good luck to you, Leo Grande (2022) opposite Emma Thompson, directed by Sophie Hyde from a screenplay by Katy Brand. The film premiered at Sundance Film Festival 2022 and was released later the same year, to critical acclaim, earning Daryl two BAFTA nominations, for EE BAFTA Rising Star and Best Lead Actor, an IFTA for Lead Actor, as well as Daryl McCormack and Emma Thompson a joint BIFA nomination for Best Joint Lead Performances.

Daryl McCormack studied Theatre and Performance at DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama and has been named by Screen International as one of their 2021 'Stars of Tomorrow', and The Hollywood Reporter 'Next Gen' talent and AP Breakthrough Entertainer's lists for 2022.

Up next for Daryl McCormack is noir thriller feature The Lesson, alongside Richard E Grant and Julie Delpy for Bleecker Street in the US. The film will have its global premiere at Tribeca Film Festival in June this year.

Daryl McCormack recently wrapped filming a co-lead role in gothic thriller The woman in the wall, for the BBC in the UK and Showtime in US, opposite Ruth Wilson.

In August 2022, Daryl McCormack featured as Matt Cafflin in Sharon Horgan's dark comedy series, Bad sisters which follows a group of five sisters (the Garvey's) after their parent’s premature death, via Apple TV+. Daryl McCormack was nominated for an IFTA for Supporting Actor in a Drama series for his performance in the series.

Daryl McCormack's previous credits include Peaky blinders (2019-2022) season 5 and 6 for the BBC and Barnaby Thompson’s PIXIE as 'Harland McKenna'.