Artistic Director Alberto Barbera has awarded the Golden Lions for Lifetime Achievement of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival to Ellen Burstyn and George Clooney, who has long been a familiar presence at the Lido. The festival will take place from September 2 to 12.
American actress Ellen Burstyn (The Exorcist, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Interstellar) has been awarded the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival of La Biennale di Venezia.
Accepting the honor, Ellen Burstyn said: “Wow! Not only do I get to travel to one of my favorite cities in the entire world… but I also get to return home holding a Golden Lion in my arms! The Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement from the Venice Film Festival! I feel so honored, so happy, and so filled with gratitude. Truly, wow!”
Commenting on the award, Artistic Director Alberto Barbera said: “An actress of rare emotional depth and authenticity, Ellen Burstyn has spent more than fifty years in American cinema, bringing remarkable complexity and humanity to unforgettable female characters who embody the contradictions and transformations of the modern woman. She first came to prominence in Peter Bogdanovich’s The Last Picture Show, a poignant portrait of small-town America, and achieved international acclaim with William Friedkin’s The Exorcist. She went on to win the Academy Award for Best Actress for Martin Scorsese’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a landmark film about a woman’s journey toward reclaiming her identity and independence. Throughout her career, she has collaborated with some of the most distinguished filmmakers of her time, including Alain Resnais on Providence, Paul Schrader on Hardcore, Bob Rafelson on The King of Marvin Gardens, Paul Mazursky on Alex in Wonderland and Harry and Tonto, Darren Aronofsky on Requiem for a Dream, and Christopher Nolan on Interstellar, to name just a few among the more than 150 films in which she has appeared. As President of the Actors Studio, Burstyn has made vulnerability and rigorous discipline the cornerstones of an acting approach grounded in emotional truth, attentive listening, and profound generosity toward her characters. Her artistry—capable of illuminating pain and everyday resilience with dignity, irony, and courage—remains an enduring model of interpretive authenticity and artistic integrity.”
The Golden Lion will be presented to Ellen Burstyn on the occasion of the screening of Maggie Gyllenhaal’s short film Flesh Impact, dedicated to Marilyn Monroe on the centenary of her birth, in which Burstyn delivers yet another extraordinary performance showcasing her exceptional talent. The cast also includes Dakota Johnson, Peter Sarsgaard, and Sepideh Moafi. Johnson portrays Marilyn at the height of her fame, while Burstyn plays a version of the iconic actress that the world never had the chance to see. Flesh Impact takes its title from an expression once used to describe Marilyn Monroe’s unique screen presence—so vivid and luminous that audiences felt as though they could almost reach out and touch her.
The other Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement has been awarded to American actor, director, and producer George Clooney (Jay Kelly, Syriana, Good Night, and Good Luck). “I’ve experienced so many extraordinary moments in Venice,” Clooney said. “The Venice Film Festival is without question my favorite festival, and receiving the Golden Lion is an immense honor. It probably also means I’m getting older, but I’m perfectly fine with that.”
Artistic Director Alberto Barbera explained the reasons for the award: “As an actor, director, and producer, George Clooney is a complete and charismatic artist—passionate, original, and capable of transforming a profound vocation into one of the brightest careers in contemporary cinema. His early years, built without shortcuts through small roles in television series and B-movies before achieving international fame as the star of ER, shaped an actor able to command the screen with remarkable naturalness. He possesses the rare gift of making his characters not only believable but also appealing, approachable, and deeply human, thanks in part to his undeniable charisma. Yet Clooney’s charisma has always been rooted in credibility rather than image; his appeal has never been merely a matter of looks. A perfect blend of old-fashioned movie-star glamour, outstanding professionalism, and modern sensibility, he has moved effortlessly across genres: war films such as Three Kings and Syriana; thrillers like Michael Clayton; sophisticated comedies including Ocean’s Eleven and O Brother, Where Art Thou?; science fiction films such as Gravity and Solaris; and bittersweet comedies like The Descendants, Up in the Air, and Jay Kelly. In every one of these films, he has continually reinvented his screen persona without ever losing his identity—by turns ironic and melancholic, charming and thoughtful, effortlessly witty yet capable of unexpected emotional depth. The same qualities are evident in the nine films he has directed, all of which reveal a demanding and generous vision of cinema. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Good Night, and Good Luck, The Ides of March, and Suburbicon are ambitious, distinctive works that challenge the conventions of mainstream Hollywood filmmaking. They also reflect another defining aspect of Clooney’s career: his enduring commitment to social and humanitarian causes, which has made him one of the most significant figures in the contemporary entertainment world.”
