The honour comes ahead of her starring role in the prequel 'A Quiet Place: Day One' for Paramount Pictures.
Mitch Neuhauser, Managing Director of CinemaCon, has announced that Lupita Nyong’o will be honoured with this year’s CinemaCon Star of the Year Award. CinemaCon, the official convention of NATO, is scheduled to take place from April 8 to 11 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Nyong’o will be presented with the award at the Big Screen Achievement Awards ceremony on the evening of Thursday, April 11 at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. The event will be hosted by the official presenting sponsor The Coca-Cola Company. Nyong’o, known for her remarkable performances, will also star in the upcoming film A Quiet Place: Day One, slated for nationwide release on June 28.
A renowned Kenyan actress, producer, and New York Times Bestselling author, Nyong’o gained international acclaim with her feature film debut in 12 Years a Slave, for which she received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Critics’ Choice Award, an Independent Spirit Award, and a NAACP Image Award. Her filmography also includes notable roles in Black Panther, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Us, Little Monsters, Queen of Katwe, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and The 355. Additionally, she served as an executive producer for Sudanese director Mohamed Kordofani’s feature debut, Goodbye Julia, which made history as the first-ever Sudanese feature to screen at the Cannes Film Festival and was selected as Sudan’s second-ever Academy Awards submission for Best International Feature.
Beyond her achievements on the big screen, Nyong’o earned a Tony nomination for her Broadway debut in Eclipsed and won an Emmy Award for the narration of her New York Times best-selling children’s book Sulwe. She also executive produces the family programme Super Sema, currently in its third season. Nyong’o’s talent extends to narration as well; she can be heard narrating Discovery’s docuseries Serengeti, for which she received two Emmy award nominations. Additionally, she is set to host a podcast focusing on non-fiction cultural storytelling from the African diaspora.
“In just over 10 years, Lupita Nyong’o has established herself as one of the most talented and respected actors of our time,” remarked Neuhauser. “From her Oscar-winning role in 12 Years a Slave to her most chilling and determined performance in Us, she never fails to surprise, captivate, and engross us with each new role she undertakes. Lupita Nyong’o is recognised around the world for being a star of the highest magnitude, and CinemaCon and the global exhibition community are honoured to recognise her as its 2024 Star of the Year.”