Dubai International Film Festival honours Catherine Deneuve

THE DUBAI INTERNATIONAL Film Festival (DIFF), which is kicking off this week on December 9, will celebrate the career of one of the world's most iconic actresses. Legendary French actress and timeless beauty Catherine Deneuve, will be honoured at the 12th edition of the festival where she will be presented with its prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award. The accolade will recognise Deneuve's illustrious career, which spans almost 60 years and includes more than a whopping 120 films.

Deneuve made her silver screen debut in 1957 at just 13 and went on to portray a number of enigmatic female characters. Her versatile career has seen her nominated for an astonishing 31 César awards including winning Best Actress for Le Dernier Métro (1980) and Indochine (1992), Regis Wargnier's epic about French Indochina for which she also received a Best Actress in a Leading Role nomination at the Academy Awards. For one of her best-known roles, as the lead in Belle du Jour (1967), she was also nominated as Best Actress at the BAFTA Film Awards.

Previous honourees of DIFF's Lifetime Achievement Award include Morgan Freeman, Sean Penn, Danny Glover as well as Egyptian actors Omar Sharif, Faten Hamamah and Adel Imam.