Al Pacino to be Honored at Los Angeles-Italia Fest

ROME –  Al Pacino will be presented with the first Jack Valenti-L.A.-Italia Legend Award at the Los Angeles-Italia Film, Fashion and Art Fest, Lina Wertmueller, the honorary chair of the festival’s parent organization, announced Monday.

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Named for the longtime Motion Picture Association of America president, the honor will be given each year to an “outstanding Italian American who has made major contributions to the global motion picture industry.” The 8-year-old festival will honor Pacino on Feb. 17, its opening night, in Hollywood.

Valenti’s daugher, Courtenay Valenti, an executive vp at Warner Bros., will present Pacino with the award, which festival founder Pascal Vicedomini said is the event’s highest honor.

“One of the greatest actors in all of film history, Al Pacino established himself during one of film’s greatest decades, the 1970s, and he has become an enduring and iconic figure in the world of American movies,” Wertmueller said in a statement.

Wertmueller is herself a part of movie history: in 1975, she became the first female director to earn an Oscar nomination, for her comedy Pasqualino Settebellezze (Seven Beauties).

The Los Angeles-Italia Film, Fashion and Art Fest will take place Feb. 17-23, immediately preceding the Oscars.