French actress Catherine Deneuve to pick career prize in Venice

By Alvise Armellini

ROME (AA) - French actress Catherine Deneuve will be honored with a career prize at this year’s Venice Film Festival, organizers of the event said Wednesday, hailing her as a “timeless diva.”

Deneuve, 78, has featured in well over 100 films, and is still active today. Some of her classics include Luis Bunuel's Belle de Jour, which won the top Golden Lion award in Venice in 1967, and Francois Truffaut’s The Last Metro.

“It is a joy to receive this prestigious award at the Venice Festival, which I love and have known for a long time, since Belle de Jour by Luis Buñuel received the Golden Lion in its day,” the actress said in a statement.

Festival director Alberto Barbera saluted Deneuve as “a true icon of the silver screen,” recalling her work with other leading directors and actors such as Roger Vadim, Roman Polanski, Marcello Mastroianni and Gerard Depardieu.

Venice hosts the world’s oldest film festival, and has built a reputation as a launchpad for films vying for the Oscars, as well as for more arthouse offerings. This year’s edition runs from Aug. 31 to Sept. 10.