Stephen Frears To Be Honored At Venice Film Festival

British helmer Stephen Frears is set to be honored at the Venice Film Festival with the Jaeger-LeCoultre Glory To The Filmmaker award. The award is dedicated to a personality who has made an original contribution to innovation in contemporary cinema.

Frears will be given the prize at a ceremony held on September 3 before the out-of-competition screening of his latest title Victoria & Abdul, which is world premiering at the fest. Pic is set in 1887 and is based on the true story about the friendship between a young clerk from India and Queen Victoria. The Working Title-BBC Films-Focus Features title stars Judi Dench and Ali Fazal.

“Prolific and unpredictable, eclectic and provocative, Stephen Frears seems to challenge the very idea of a monolithic definition of his cinema,” said Venice fest director Alberto Barbera. “Along with Ken Loach and Mike Leigh, he is one of the most vibrant and representative exponents of contemporary British cinema.”

Frears’ career has spanned nearly 50 years having kicked off his career directing TV series and TV movies. He debuted in film in 1984 with The Hit and his next title, My Beautiful Laundrette, starring Daniel Day Lewis, earned an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay. Since then, he’s directed projects such as Dangerious Liasons and The Grifters and been to Venice with pics such as Liam, Dirty Pretty Things, The Queen and Philomena.

Past recipients of the Glory To The Filmmaker award have been given to Takeshi Kitano, Abbas Kiarostami, Sylvester Stallone, Al Pacino, Spike Lee and Brian De Palma.

The 74th edition of the Venice Film Festival takes place August 30-September 9.