Lina Wertmüller Receives Honorary Oscar

Lina Wertmüller, the 91-year-old Italian filmmaker, was awarded an Honorary Oscar by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for her lifetime achievements. Born in Rome in 1928, she began her career as an assistant director to Federico Fellini on La Dolce Vita and 8½. Her directorial debut, I Basilischi (1963), won the Silver Sail at the Locarno Festival. She earned a historic double Oscar nomination in 1977 for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay for Pasqualino Settebellezze (1975), becoming the first woman nominated for Best Director. The film also received a Best Foreign Language Film nomination, and Giancarlo Giannini was nominated for Best Actor. Wertmüller directed over thirty films starring Sophia Loren, Marcello Mastroianni, and others. She also worked in television, directing the popular series Il giornalino di Gian Burrasca (1964-1965) with Rita Pavone. She voiced Grandma Fa in Disney's Mulan (1998). In 2010, she received the David di Donatello for career achievement. Wertmüller expressed a wish that the Oscar be renamed "Anna" to be feminine.