Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci has been picked to lead the jury for the Venice Film Festival, the oldest film festival in the world. Organizers also amended the rules for awards to avoid the controversy that occurred last year.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Last Tango In Paris and Last Emperor director has never had any of his films in competition at the festival, although he did get a lifetime achievement award in 2007. In 2011, he was chosen to present Marco Belocchio’s lifetime award and he previously lead the jury in 1983.
In a statement, Bertolucci, 73, explained that he accepted the honor because it will give him “the opportunity to see the most interesting work being done in filmmaking around the world.”
Festival artistic director Alberto Barbera and organizers are also going to try to make sure that the 2013 festival doesn’t end with the same controversy that happened last year. Michael Mann’s jury gave Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master the Silver Bear for directing and the best actor award to both its stars, Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman. They reportedly wanted to give the film the top prize, but because of a technicality, the Golden Lion went to Kim Ki-duk’s Pieta.
According to Deadline, there will no longer be any joint winners and no film can get more than one prize. However, exceptions were made for the acting Volpi Cups and the Marcello Mastroianni award for best newcomer. However the jury could give these two awards to an actor or actress in a film that wins any of the other prizes, but only “in exceptional cases and after consultation with the festival director.”
The Venice Film Festival is set for Aug. 28 to Sept. 7. William Friedkin will be presented the lifetime achievement award this year.