British actress Vanessa Redgrave has been awarded the ‘Golden Lion’ for lifetime achievement at the 75th Venice International Film Festival.

The decision was made by the Board of Directors of the Biennale di Venezia chaired by Paolo Baratta, upon the recommendation of the Director of the Venice Film Festival, Alberto Barbera. This is the second Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement of the 75th Venice Film Festival. As already announced, the Golden Lion to a director has been awarded to David Cronenberg. Each year La Biennale assigns two Golden Lions for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice Film Festival: the first is awarded to a director, the second to an actor or actress.

“I am astonished and especially delighted to hear that I will be awarded by the Venice Film Festival for a life’s work in film,” Redgrave said. “Last summer I was filming in Venice in The Aspern Papers. Many many years ago I filmed La vacanza in the marshes of the Veneto. My character spoke every word in the Venetian dialect. I bet I am the only non-Italian actress to act an entire role in Venetian dialect! Thank you a million dear Festival!”

Alberto Barbera added: “Unanimously considered one of today’s best actresses, Redgrave’s sensitive, infinitely faceted performances ideally render complex and often controversial characters. Gifted with a natural elegance, innate seductive power, and extraordinary talent, she can nonchalantly pass from European art house cinema to lavish Hollywood productions, from the stage to TV sets, each time offering top-quality results. In the sixty years of her professional activity, her performances have displayed authoritativeness and total control over the roles she plays, a boundless and highly sophisticated generosity, and a healthy dose of the courage and fighting spirit which are a hallmark of her compassionate, artistic nature”.

[MORE] – ‘A Star is Born’ to hold world premiere at the 75th Venice Film Festival