Veteran actress Ellen Burstyn will receive the Golden Lion for Excellence at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, organizers announced Tuesday.
Burstyn, whose acclaimed filmography includes The Last Picture Show, The Exorcist And Alice doesn’t live here anymorewill be presented with this award during this year’s festival, which runs from September 2 to 12.
In announcing the award, festival artistic director Alberto Barbera described Burstyn as “an actress of rare intensity and truth,” adding that she brought “depth and complexity to unforgettable female characters that embody the contradictions and transformations of the modern woman.”
Barbera said: “Revealed in Peter Bogdanovich’s book. Last movie showwhich depicted the decline of small-town America and rose to worldwide fame thanks to the success of William Friedkin’s film. ExorcistBurstyn won an Oscar for Best Actress in Martin Scorsese’s film. Alice doesn’t live here anymorea manifesto film about women reclaiming their identity and freedom.”
He also noted her collaborations with leading directors, including Alain Resnais in ProvidencePaul Schroeder HardcoreBob Rafelson in King Marvin GardensPaul Mazursky Alex in Wonderland And Harry and TontoDarren Aronofsky Requiem for a Dreamand Christopher Nolan in Interstellar.
Praising her work, Barbera said, “Burstyn made fragility and methodical discipline the tools of an acting approach rooted in emotional truth, sensitivity and generosity to her characters. Her artistry, which could illuminate pain and everyday resilience with dignity, irony and courage, remains the ultimate model of authenticity in performance and civic engagement in the craft of acting.”
Reacting to the honor, Burstyn said, “Wow! Not only will I be going to one of my favorite cities in the entire world, I will be coming home with the Golden Lion in my arms! The Venice Film Festival’s Lifetime Achievement Award! I feel so honored, so happy and so filled with gratitude! Wow, really.”
Burstyn will be presented with the Golden Lion during a screening of Maggie Gyllenhaal’s short film. Exposure to fleshdedicated to Marilyn Monroe on the centenary of her birth.
According to the festival, the film demonstrates Burstyn’s “extraordinary talent as a performer.”
The cast also includes Dakota Johnson, Peter Sarsgaard and Sepideh Moafi. Johnson plays Monroe at the height of her fame, while Burstyn portrays a version of the Hollywood icon that the world never saw.
Name Exposure to flesh taken from a phrase that was once used to describe Monroe’s screen presence, suggesting that she seemed so real and vibrant that viewers felt they could reach out and touch her.
Burstyn will next be seen opposite Taika Waititi in Kornel Mundruczó’s upcoming film. A place to be.