Greek director Theo Anghelopoulos has received the lifetime achievement award at a festival of Mediterranean cinema in Rome.
Anghelopoulos, known for weighty art-house fare like 1999 Cannes winner and Oscar nominee Eternity And A Day, dedicated the award to the late Marcello Mastroianni, who appeared in his 1988 film The Beekeeper.
The Greek director, 72, told the annual MedFilm Festival he will soon be leaving for Russia to shoot his new film, The Dust Of Time.
MedFilm opened on Thursday night. It will feature 187 films, including 35 premieres.
Anghelopoulos received his award at the opening ceremony.
The citation read: "To the poet of history and to the civil passion of his cinema, both Mediterranean and international."
The Dust of Time is the second of a trilogy dedicated to the 20th century.
"It will be a great journey from Kazakhstan to Canada to Europe," he said.
Anghelopoulos said he plans to finish the new film in time to present it in Cannes or Venice next year.
