Tonatiuh (‘Kiss of the Spider Woman’) to Receive MVFF Award at 48th Mill Valley Film Festival
The Mill Valley Film Festival (MVFF48) will present a Spotlight Program honoring Tonatiuh, recipient of a 2025 MVFF Award, for his transformative artistry in Bill Condon’s Kiss of the Spider Woman, “bringing emotional depth and fearless authenticity to a role that resonates on both personal and cultural levels.”
As part of the Spotlight celebration, MVFF48 will present a screening of Kiss of the Spider Woman. Director Bill Condon will also attend and join Tonatiuh for a post-screening on-stage conversation on Wednesday, October 8.
Tonatiuh’s performance has already drawn widespread attention for its depth, vulnerability, and cultural resonance, signaling a major new voice in film acting. With this Spotlight, MVFF recognizes both his artistic achievement and the larger impact of his work.
In her review of the film out of Sundance, AwardsWatch’s Karen Peterson said, “…stealing the show is Tonatiuh, who was born to be a star. Stepping into the role for which William Hurt won an Academy Award, Tonatiuh lights up the screen.”
Tonatiuh recently appeared in Netflix’s hit thriller Carry-On, produced by Amblin and co-starring Taron Egerton and Jason Bateman, which became the platform’s third most-watched film with over 166 million views. A Los Angeles native, Tonatiuh studied at USC’s School of Dramatic Arts and School of Cinematic Arts and has worked extensively on stage with IAMA Theatre Company (Species Native to California, The House That Jake Built) and ECHO Theatre Company (Fixed), the latter leading to his acclaimed role in Tanya Saracho’s STARZ series Vida. His screen credits include ABC’s Promised Land, Peacock’s Angelyne, the SXSW feature Drunk Bus, and Shoplifters of the World.
The MVFF Spotlight program recognizes and celebrates outstanding work by film artists in their most recent projects. Honorees may be at any stage of their career, whether early, mid, or late. Over the years, MVFF has highlighted remarkable talents such as Mikey Madison, Danielle Deadwyler, Nikyatu Jusu, Paolo Sorrentino, Denis Villeneuve, Regina King, Delroy Lindo, Robert Pattinson, Richard E. Grant, Karyn Kusama, Joel Edgerton, Amandla Stenberg, Dee Rees, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Eddie Redmayne, Ewan McGregor, Brie Larson, Steve McQueen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michelle Yeoh, Elle Fanning, and Jared Leto, among others.
MVFF48 takes place October 2–12, 2025, in Marin County, California.
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Critics Choice Association (CCA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
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