CANNES, France, April 13 (UPI) -- Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci is to be presented with an Honorary Palme d'or during the opening ceremony of France's Festival de Cannes, organizers said.
"This recognition is attributed to an important filmmaker, whose work is authoritative but never got a Palme d'or," a statement on the festival's Web site said Monday. "In the recent past, Woody Allen, in 2002, or Clint Eastwood, in 2009, were awarded this distinction by President Gilles Jacob, on behalf of the Board of Directors of the Festival de Cannes. Now, the act becomes tradition and will be annual, taking place at the opening of the event."