Venice Film gives lifetime achievement to Roberto Benigni

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FILE - In this Sunday, Oct. 23, 2016 filer, Roberto Benigni poses for photographers as he arrives on the red carpet at the Rome Film Festival. The Venice Film Festival said Thursday, April 15, 2021 it will give its lifetime achievement award this year to Oscar-winning director and actor Roberto Benigni. The Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement is to be awarded at 78th edition of the worlds oldest film festival, scheduled for Sept. 1-11 on the Lido. Benigni wrote, directed and starred in La Vita e Bella, (Life is Beautiful), which won the Oscar for best foreign language film, best actor and best musical score in 1999. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia, File)

ROME ā€“ The Venice Film Festival said Thursday it will give its lifetime achievement award this year to Oscar-winning director and actor Roberto Benigni.

The Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement is to be awarded at the 78th edition of the worldā€™s oldest film festival, scheduled for Sept. 1-11 on the Lido.

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Benigni wrote, directed and starred in ā€œLa Vita e Bella,ā€ (ā€œLife is Beautifulā€), which won the Oscar for best foreign language film, best actor and best musical score in 1999.

In announcing the decision, Venice director Alberto Barbera called Benigni ā€œone of the most extraordinary comedy actors in an admittedly rich gallery of Italian performers,ā€ and noted his more recent solo performances reading Danteā€™s ā€œDivine Comedy.ā€

Benigni, perhaps best remembered for climbing on top of the audience chair when he won the Oscar, was more restrained on Thursday. ā€œMy heart is full of joy and gratitude,ā€ he said in a statement.

Venice was one of the few international film festivals to be held fully in-person last year amid the coronavirus pandemic, using reserved seating arrangements and extra screenings to ensure socially distanced viewing.


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