Actor and director Al Pacino has been tapped to receive Venice’s Glory to the Filmmaker 2011 Award dedicated to an artist who has left an original mark on contemporary cinema.

The prize will be handed out on Sept 4 during the festival, which runs Aug 31-Sept 10 and will celebrate Pacino’s achievements as a filmmaker. Venice artistic director Marco Mueller says Pacino is “an amazing director, whose experience is precious and original, and enriches the world of contemporary film.”

After the award ceremony, Pacino will screen his third feature-length directorial film, Wilde Salome, a documentary with which Pacino explores the complexities of Oscar Wilde’s acclaimed play Salome, Wilde himself and the birth of a rising star in actress Jessica Chastain. 

The biennale said the film’s placement within the festival has not yet been determined.

“There is nowhere else I would rather debut Wilde Salome than Venice because of its rich artistic history,” Pacino said.

Wilde Salome, which will be released in fall 2011 stars Al Pacino, Jessica Chastain and Kevin Anderson. Barry Navidi and Robert Fox with Salome Productions and Tripod Entertainment produce the picture.

Previous recipients of the Glory To The Filmmaker award, a Venice International Film Festival award in collaboration with Jaeger-Le Coultre, include Takeshi Kitano, Abbas Kiarostami, Agnes Varda, Sylvester Stallone and Mani Ratnam.

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