Veteran Italian director Francesco Rosi is to be honoured with an Homage and an Honorary Golden Bear at February 2008's Berlin International Film Festival.

The Homage will present a selection of 13 films documenting Rosi's oeuvre of politically committed cinema over the decades and will include his 1961/62 film Salvatore Giuliano which won him the Silver Bear for Best Director at the 1962 Berlinale. It will be screened on Feb 14 after Rosi has been presented with the Golden Bear for Lifetime Achievement.

Commenting on the choice of 85-year-old Rosi as the subject of next year's Homage, Rainer Rother, artistic director of the Deutsche Kinemathek - Museum fur Film und Fernsehen which is organising the showcase, observed that 'Francesco Rosi's films never fail to display great commitment and passion and still have an enormous impact today - a fact that underscores their greatness as works of art.'

The Homage and Honorary Golden Bear for the 2007 edition had been dedicated to the US director Arthur Penn.

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