Catherine Deneuve is unquestionably one of the greatest actresses of all generations. And the world of cinema is once again preparing to reward his talent. The French star will receive an honorary Golden Lion at the 79th edition of La Mostra de Venise, which will be held from August 31 to September 10, the Mostra, the oldest film festival in the world, announced on Wednesday. A news welcomed with a smile by the main interested party: “It is a joy to receive this prestigious award at the Venice Film Festival, which I have loved and known for a long time, since beautiful day by Luis Buñuel received the Golden Lion“, responded the 78-year-old actress, fully recovered from her stroke.
It was the director of the Mostra, Alberto Barbera, who proposed giving Catherine Deneuve this award to the board of directors of the Biennale, which manages the Mostra. Quoted in the festival press release, Alberto Barbera salutes “an eternal diva, a true icon of the big screen (…) among the greatest interpreters in the history of cinema“. He too recalls the Golden Lion won by beautiful day in 1967, as well as her Volpi cup for best actress won for Place Vendôme by Nicole Garcia in 1998.
Alberto Barbera also emphasizes “the artistic collaborations (of the actress) with some of the most important European actors and directors: Roger Vadim, Jacques Demy, Luis Buñuel, François Truffaut, Roman Polanski, Marco Ferreri, Marcello Mastroianni and Gérard Depardieu“.
Catherine Deneuve will have to make a little more room on the shelf which hosts the many awards received during her career. The actress has already received two Césars for best actress for The Last Metro in 1981 and for Indochina in 1993. In 2005, Catherine Deneuve also received a Palme d’honneur at the Cannes festival, as well as the Silver Bear for the best artistic contribution in Berlin in 2002 for eight women by Francois Ozon.