Venice film festival to give career award to US director Julian Schnabel

MILAN: American artist and filmmaker Julian Schnabel, whose movies include artist biopics “At Eternity’s Gate” and “Basquiat”, will be given a career award at this year’s Venice Film Festival, organisers said on Wednesday.

The 73-year-old will be presented with the Cartier Glory to the Filmmaker Award, dedicated to people who have made a particularly original contribution to contemporary cinema, on September 3, a festival statement said.

Before the ceremony, the festival will host the out-of-competition premiere of Schnabel’s latest feature, “In the Hand of Dante”, starring Oscar Isaac, Gal Gadot, Gerard Butler, Al Pacino, John Malkovich and Martin Scorsese.

“I never dreamed I would become a filmmaker, let alone be honoured with this award,” Schnabel said in the statement.

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Festival director Alberto Barbera praised Schnabel’s work as “a gift to film”, calling his new feature “his most ambitious project to date”.

The Venice Film Festival runs from August 27 to September 6.

This year’s edition is set to feature Hollywood stars, Oscar-winning directors, Asian heavyweights and European auteurs, all looking to make a splash at the start of the awards season.