ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Tom Hanks receives career award at Rome Film Fest, attacks Trump

festival-fair · 2026-05-05

At the 2016 Rome Film Festival, Tom Hanks received a career award presented by Claudia Cardinale and launched a sharp critique of Donald Trump during the presidential campaign. Hanks, in Italy to promote "Inferno," the latest Dan Brown adaptation, participated in the "Incontri Ravvicinati" conversation series. The festival also dedicated a free-admission retrospective of 16 films spanning his career, including two he directed: "Music Graffiti" (1996) and "Larry Crowne" (2011). Hanks stated: "the real problem is when nothing is done to transform ignorance into knowledge and therefore awareness," alluding to Trump's populist rhetoric against Hillary Clinton.

Key facts

  • Tom Hanks received a career award at the 2016 Rome Film Festival.
  • The award was presented by Claudia Cardinale.
  • Hanks criticized Donald Trump during the US presidential election campaign.
  • He was in Italy promoting the film Inferno, based on Dan Brown's novel.
  • The festival hosted a free retrospective of 16 Hanks films, including two he directed.
  • The retrospective included Apollo 13, Saving Private Ryan, Cast Away, Catch Me If You Can, and The Terminal.
  • Hanks participated in the Incontri Ravvicinati conversation series.
  • The festival aimed to engage the public and the city beyond industry professionals.

Entities

Artists

  • Tom Hanks
  • Claudia Cardinale
  • Dan Brown

Institutions

  • Festa del Cinema di Roma
  • Artribune
  • Hollywood

Locations

  • Rome
  • Italy

Sources