Sigourney Weaver will be honoured with a lifetime achievement award at the Venice International Film Festival.

The Alien actress will be presented with the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement in recognition of her career and for building bridges “between the most sophisticated art-house cinema and movies that engage with the public in a frank and original way, all the while remaining true to herself”.

Reacting to the honour, Weaver said in a statement, “To be gifted this award is a privilege I share with all the filmmakers and collaborators I have worked with throughout the years. I proudly accept this award in celebration of all who have helped bring these films to life.”

The three-time Academy Award nominee follows in the footsteps of recent recipients such as Jane Fonda, Robert Redford, Julie Andrews and Jamie Lee Curtis. She will be honoured alongside Australian writer and director Peter Weir.

“An actress of the calibre of Sigourney Weaver has few rivals,” said Venice International Film Festival Director Alberto Barbera. “Not satisfied with having blazed the trail for powerful female actors, the actress ceaselessly continued her search for a personal identity. She constantly challenged her persona through choices that ranged from genre movies to comedies, art-house films, and children’s movies, side-stepping labels that sought to restrict her to the role of a triumphant icon of the Reagan era.”

The 2024 Venice International Film Festival runs from 28 August to 7 September.

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