Spanish writer-director Pedro Almodóvar has been chosen as the 50th recipient of the Chaplin Award by Film at Lincoln Center. An accompanying gala event will take place at Lincoln Center on April 28th, 2025, honoring Almodóvar’s work among a host of his friends and collaborators.

Pedro Almodóvar’s newest work The Room Next Door stars Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton. The film won the prestigious Golden Lion award at this year’s Venice Film Festival and will be making its U.S. premiere as the centerpiece gala during the 62nd New York Film Festival. The Room Next Door, Almodóvar’s first English feature, is set for national release in January, per The Hollywood Reporter.

Described as “a storytelling master whose artistry, creativity and exceptional talent have captivated audiences and filmmakers alike,” by Film at Lincoln Center president Lesli Klainberg, Almodóvar’s work spans decades and earned him the distinction as one of the highest-acclaimed directors in Spain. “From his earliest films, he has immersed us in emotionally rich, vibrant, complex and compassionate worlds… Film at Lincoln Center is proud to honor Pedro Almodóvar with the 50th Chaplin Award.” In 1999, Almodóvar won the Oscar for best foreign-language feature for his film All About My Mother. Talk to Her earned Almodóvar another Oscar, this time for best original screenplay. Other entries in his filmography include Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988), Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (1989), Volver (2006), What Have I Done to Deserve This? (1984), and Pain and Glory (2019).

Wendy Keys, the Film At Lincoln Center’s Board of Directors secretary fondly recalls her introduction to Almodóvar’s work: “Pedro burst into our lives in 1985 with the premiere of his irreverent and darkly humorous film What Have I Done to Deserve This? at New Directors/New Films… Over the years, he has had 15 films in the New York Film Festival and also helped launch the Walter Reade Theater with a raucous screening of High Heels in 1991,” highlighting the humanitarian aspect of his craft, she continued that “his films also affirm his profound love for women and a deep understanding of the human condition.”

The Chaplin Award Gala itself began in 1972 to commemorate the legendary actor and filmmaker Charlie Chaplin, who returned from exile to receive the award. The event has gone on to become a large fundraising event and platform to honor the greatest influences in the world of cinema.

The Room Next Door is being released by Sony Pictures Classic.