Renowned filmmaker Bernardo Bertolucci will receive the Golden Aruba award for outstanding achievement in film at the inaugural Aruba International Film Festival event.
Serving as the Festival’s most prestigious symbol of recognition, the Golden Aruba Award “honors a filmmaker, actor or actress whose work has had a major impact and advanced the frontiers of cinematic artistry around the world.” Bertolucci will be on hand for the special tribute and presentation in Aruba and will participate in the Festival’s “In Conversations With” series.
The announcement was made by AIFF Artistic Director Claudio Masenza. “Bernardo Bertolucci is simply my favorite director,” said Claudio Masenza, in a statement. “Both as a genial film maker and wonderful friend, he is a constant source of inspiration in my life. What greater honor could I hope for than being able to start my involvement with the Aruba International Film Festival recognizing his greatness?”
Bernardo Bertolucci born in March 16, 1940 is an Italian film director and screenwriter, whose films include The Conformist, Last Tango in Paris, The Last Emperor and The Dreamers.
Last Tango in Paris (1972), starring Marlon Brando and Maria Schneider, exemplified the new trend for Italian movies to attempt to make more money by employing foreign actors in starring roles: Last Tango in Paris included only one Italian actor, Massimo Girotti, in a main role.
The Last Emperor was the first feature film ever authorized by the government of the People's Republic of China to film in the Forbidden City. The Last Emperor became the first western film made in China and about the country to be produced with full Chinese government cooperation since 1949.
At the 60th Academy Awards, The Last Emperor won all nine Oscars for which it was nominated: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Costume Design, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Best Music, Original Score and Best Sound.
Bertolucci will travel to Aruba to receive the new festival's most prestigious award as well as participate in its "In Conversations With" series alongside celebrities led by Richard Gere and Guillermo Arriaga.
