WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Belgian film-maker Agnes Varda, one of the key figures in the French New Wave in the 1960s, is to become the first female director to be awarded an honorary Oscar.
She, along with actor Donald Sutherland, writer-director Charles Burnett, and cinematographer Owen Roizman will receive the 2017 Governors Awards at a ceremony in Los Angeles on November 12, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Wednesday.
All the previous sixteen directors who have received honorary Oscars were men.
Interestingly, in the competitive Oscar section too, only one woman has ever won the Best Director award - Kathryn Bigelow for 'The Hurt Locker' in 2010.
'This year's Governors Awards reflect the breadth of international, independent and mainstream filmmaking, and are tributes to four great artists whose work embodies the diversity of our shared humanity,' said Academy President John Bailey.
89 year-old Varda has been called the mother of the French New Wave. Her first feature 'La Pointe Courte' is considered to be the film that inspired the movement. Varda has experimented with all forms of film making during her more than 60-year career, including the New Wave classic 'Cleo from 5 to 7,' 'Le Bonheur,' 'One Sings, the Other Doesn't,' and 'Vagabond.' 'The Beaches of Agnès,' is her autobiographical documentary.
U.S. cinematographer Roizman, 80, earned five Oscar nominations for his work on 'The French Connection,' 'The Exorcist,' 'Network,' 'Tootsie' and 'Wyatt Earp.'
Canadian-born Donald Sutherland has more than 140 films spanning six decades in his credit.
American independent filmmaker Burnett's work has been praised for its portrayal of the African-American experience.
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