Sigourney Weaver to receive Venice Golden Lion

Acting icon Sigourney Weaver will be honoured with the Golden Lion for lifetime achievement at the 81st Venice International Film Festival.

Inarguably one of the most acclaimed and versatile actors of her generation, Weaver, a triple-Oscar nominee, has moved easily across budgets and genres, from big-budget action franchises (Aliens, Avatar), comedy (Ghostbusters, Galaxy Quest), biopics (Gorillas in the Mist) and arthouse drama (Rampart, Master Gardner).

“An actress of the caliber of Sigourney Weaver has few rivals,” said Venice artistic director Alberto Barbera, who credited her with having “blazed the trail for powerful female actors” with 1980s action movies like Aliens while successfully “side-stepping labels that sought to restrict her” He said the lifetime achievement honor was “just recognition for a star who has built 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.”

“I am truly honoured to receive the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement from the Biennale di Venezia,” said Weaver 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.”

Weaver will be seen next in Bryan Fuller’s horror comedy Dust Bunny and Scott Derrickson’s sci-fi actioner The Gorge as well as James Cameron’s Avatar sequels.

Venice will announce the complete lineup for the 2024 festival on July 23.