International reporter

“It took us 11 hours to get to Munich, two hours to get to Milan and then another two hours to get there,” veteran producer Stacey Sher explained this afternoon as she sat weary-eyed in a glass-enclosed hotel suite at the Locarno Film Festival.

There are no direct flights from Los Angeles to the picturesque Swiss town where Sher will be guest of honor and accept the festival's Raimondo Rezzonico Award for her career achievements.

Best known as one of the enduring names of American independent cinema, Sher's credits include '90s classics Pulp Fiction (1994), Get Shorty (1995), Matilda (1996), Gattaca (1997), and Out of Sight (1998). She has also executive produced series such as Reno 911! and the Emmy Award-winning Mrs. America (2020). In 2021, she executive produced the 93rd Academy Awards alongside Steven Soderbergh.