VENICE: Legendary Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodovar won the Golden Lion lifetime achievement award at the Venice Film Festival Thursday.
The legend – who was described as “greatest and most influential Spanish director since Luis Bunuel” – called the recognition an “act of poetic justice”.
It is the first big award for him from a top European festival such as Cannes and Venice.
Almodovar has directed more than 20 feature films, his most famous were “Volver”, “Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!” and “High Heels”.
“Thirty years later, I am awarded the Golden Lion… It is an act of poetic justice,”said Almodovar. His first film was screened in Venice in 1983.
Almodovar said he wanted to portray “all diversity” in his films, such as homosexuality, masochism, drugs, pornography, religion and anti-clericalism.