93-year-old Ellen Burstyn received the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice Film Festival. Despite a recent fall, she took the stage to a standing ovation, calling the award incredibly meaningful after her seven-decade career.
The 93 year-old-actess Ellen Burstyn was honoured with the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement Award at the Venice Film Festival on Monday, reported Variety.
An Emotional Acceptance
Maggie Gyllenhaal delivered a message on behalf of Ellen Burstyn on the stage. “Ellen asked me to let you know that she recently took a fall. She’s OK, but she is moving more slowly — which is fine because it’ll give us more time to clap,” said Gyllenhaal, as quoted by Variety.
Indeed, the room burst into applause as Burstyn, clad in a vibrant yellow gown, sauntered onto the stage with a walker.
Burstyn cried and wiped away her tears with a tissue as she was greeted with a heartfelt, minutes-long standing ovation. “You’re making me cry! You’re overwhelming me, you know! I don’t know how to recover from that generous greeting,” she said, as quoted by Variety.
A Career-Defining Honour
Burstyn has achieved a lot in her seven-decade career in Hollywood, which she was quick to remind the crowd, but she puts the Venice award among the top honours. “You can’t imagine how meaningful this is to me. It’s one thing to win an Oscar, a Tony or an Emmy — all of which I’ve won. But this … it’s a lot. At 93, it means you have a far about of lifetime to look back on. I thought, maybe it’s not just a record of what you’ve accomplished, but what you’ve learned,” said Burstyn, as quoted by Variety.
According to the outlet, Burstyn was awarded the Golden Lion on Monday afternoon during the premiere of Gyllenhaal’s short film ‘Flesh Impact.’ (ANI)
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