The Venice Film Festival will honor Australian director and screenwriter Peter Weir (Dead Poets Society; Truman Show) with the Golden Lion for his lifetime achievement in its 81st edition.
“The Venice Film Festival and its Golden Lion are part of the folklore of our profession. Being chosen to receive the award for a lifetime of work as a director is a considerable honor.,” said Peter Weir.
The Festival director, Alberto Barbera, stated: “With a total of just thirteen films made over forty years, Peter Weir secured a place in the firmament of modern cinema’s great directors. In the late 1970s, he became known as primarily responsible for the revival of Australian cinema thanks to two films, “The Cars That Ate Paris” It is “Picnic at Hanging Rock“, the latter having gained, over the years, the status of a cult film. The international success of his next two films, “Gallipoli” It is “The Year of Living Dangerously“, the doors of Hollywood opened to him, and he quickly became one of its main protagonists. In his films, Weir combines reflections on personal themes and the need to reach as wide an audience as possible. Despite the diversity of the themes he addresses, it is not difficult to discover a constant in his bold, rigorous and spectacular cinematographic work: a sensitivity that allows him to address very current topics.“.
The Venice Film Festival runs from August 28th to September 7th.
