Sydney Lummet to be awarded the 2009 Fellini Prize

Sydney Lumet becomes the fourth director to receive the Fellini Prize, an annual award presented in Rimini by the Fellini Foundation to both honour the world’s most important film directors, and at the same time comemorate the late great Federico Fellini.

Lumet, who started his career as film director back in 1957 (with the classic 12 Angry men, starring Henry Fonda and Lee J. Cobb), has been nominated for the Academy Award for best director on no less than four occasions, and has had significant critical and commercial success over his prolific career.

Sydney Lumet who will be awarded the 2009 Fellini prize

Amongst his most well-known films are Scerpico (starring Al Pacino), Dog Day Afternoon (starring Al Pacino), Equus (starring Richard Burton) and The Verdict (starring Paul Newman).

Lumet’s connections with Italian cinema date back to his early career, when he was particularly influenced by the neo-realist movement. His work has always been concerned with society and justice, as when he controversially directed a made-for-tv movie about the executed Italian anarchists Sacco and Vanzetti (in 1960).

The New York director will be in Rimini in November to receive the prize in person from the President of the annual Fellini conference Bolognese film director Pupi Avati. Following in the footsteps of previous winners – Martin Scorsese(2005), Roman Polanski (2006), Ermanno Olmi(2007), and Portuguese film-maker Manoel De Oliveira (2008)- Lumet will participate in a discussion on the works of Fellini, which this year will focus specifically on the art of screenwriting.

We’ll bring you more news closer to the date.