Italian film director Pupi Avati on Thursday received a career achievement award from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA).
Avati, 70, whose credits include La casa dalle finestre che ridono (1976), Una gita scolastica (1983), Il testimone dello sposo (1998) and Il cuore altrove (2003), picked up the award at a festival of Italian cinema set to tour Britain and Ireland.
''This award has more value for me than one from Italy,'' said the Bolognese director, whose latest film, La papa' di Giovanna, won a 'little Golden Lion' at Venice last year.
Festival director Richard Mowe said Avati's films were ''always different and this diversity has become a trademark of his work''.
The 16th edition of the festival, organised by several Italian culture bodies, will allow British and Irish audiences to see recent Italian films which failed to get into movie houses there.
