Pedro Almodovar awarded Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement

Spanish director Pedro Almodovar was awarded the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 76th Venice Film Festival on Thursday.

Spanish director Pedro Almodovar attends the Golden Lion Award for Lifetime Achievement photocall during the 76th Venice Film Festival at Sala Grande in Venice, Italy on Aug 29, 2019.[Photo: IC]

He received the prize from Festival Director Alberto Barbera and Jury President Lucrecia Martel at a ceremony ahead of a special screening of his most iconic film "Women on the verge of a Nervous Breakdown."

Barbera said that Almodovar "not only is the greatest and most influential Spanish director since Bunuel; he is a filmmaker who has offered us the most multifaceted, controversial and provocative portraits of post-Franco Spain."

Achievements in Almodovar's long career include "All About My Mother" (1999) which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, and Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival.

The Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement is the highest recognition Venice gives to filmmakers, actors, and actresses for their overall artistic contribution to cinema.

(Story includes material sourced from AP)