Hollywood actor Riz Ahmed is set to receive the British Independent Film Awards` top honour, The Richard Harris Award, at this year`s ceremony. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the prize, given to an actor or actress who has "contributed significantly to British films throughout their career," will see Ahmed join the ranks of previous honorees, including Kristin Scott Thomas, Judi Dench, Vanessa Redgrave, Daniel Day-Lewis, Helena Bonham Carter, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Julie Walters, John Hurt, Emma Thompson, Jim Broadbent and Glenda Jackson.

Ahmed, who first broke out in Michael Winterbottom`s 2006 film `Road to Guantanamo`, has since become a major international star thanks to `Nightcrawler`, `Rogue One`, `Jason Bourne`, `Venom` and recent indie hit `The Sound of Metal` (for which he earned an Oscar nomination). He has amassed eight BIFA nominations over the years. In 2020, he claimed both the best debut screenwriter award for `Mogul Mowgli`, his first foray into feature film writing, and best British short film for `The Long Goodbye`, which he co-created and starred in. This year, he`s nominated in the best actor category for Michael Pearce`s `Encounter`.