Karla Sofía Gascón Shocks Venice With Emilia Pérez Win Months After Scandal

In spite of the X (Twitter) Scandal that got canceled a few months ago, Spanish transgender actress Karla Sofía Gascón continues to garner recognition for her work in the controversial film Emilia Pérez, one of the most nominated films on the awards circuit in 2024/2025.

Although Gascón had virtually disappeared from headlines and public events after the Oscars, the Kinéo Cultural Association honored her with one of its Kinéos Awards, in the Best Foreign Actress category.

The non-profit group, created to promote Italian cinema, holds its gala in parallel with the first weekend of the legendary Venice Film Festival .

Other famous artists who have received these awards include Ennio Morricone, Giuseppe Tornatore, Susan Sarandon, Natalie Portman, Bernardo Bertolucci, Claudia Cardinale, and Nastassja Kinski, among others.

The award appears to be part of Gascón's efforts to rehabilitate his public image, ahead of the international release of his next film, also shot in Italy, titled Men and Other Inconsistencies.

This year, Gascón was also part of the cast of Trinidad, an adventure comedy with Wild West touches, in which he co-stars with Spanish actress Paz Vega.

The Karla Sofía Gascón controversy

The transgender actress was experiencing the peak of her career last year. Her work in Emilia Pérez earned her the honor of being the first transgender actress to be nominated for an Oscar in the Best Actress category. She was also recognized by the Golden Globes and the British BAFTA Awards, among many others.

However, the Oscars promotional campaign was derailed when a series of messages on X (Twitter) resurfaced, which included racist and Islamophobic messages, as well as attacks on other actors, including his co-star Selena Gomez.

The reaction from the film industry and the public was swift and decisive. Netflix even removed her from promotional materials before the Oscars. Despite rumors that she had been disinvited to the Academy Awards ceremony, Gascón did attend, although she wasn't with the rest of the cast.

The Kinéo Awards will be presented in Venice this Saturday, August 30, 2025.