Peter Weir, director of cult classics like "The Truman Show," will receive a lifetime achievement award at this year's Venice Film Festival.
"With a total of just 13 films directed over 40 years, Peter Weir has secured his place in the ranks of the great directors of modern cinema," said the festival's artistic director Alberto Barbera.
At the 81st Venice Film Festival, which begins on 28 August, Weir will be awarded the Golden Lion for lifetime achievement.
The 79-year-old Australian director described the festival and the award as "part of the folklore of our craft. To be selected as the winner of the Lifetime Achievement in Directing Award is a significant honour," he added.
Weir has won two British BAFTA awards for directing "The Truman Show" (1998), a satire of reality television starring Jim Carrey, and "Master and Commander" (2003), a naval epic starring Russell Crowe.
It was nominated for 6 Academy Awards for four separate films, including Best Director, Best Picture and Best Screenplay.
In 2022, he became the first Australian to receive an honorary Oscar. / BGNES
