Penelope Cruz is to receive an honorary prize at the 43nd Cesar Awards in Paris, France.
The 43-year-old actress will be recognised for her incredible cinema career by France’s Academy of Arts and Techniques of Cinema at the prestigious event – the French equivalent of the Oscars – to be held on March 2.
A statement released by Alain Terzian – the president of the Academy of Arts and Techniques of Cinema – said: "Penelope Cruz has the talent to shine in international productions as much as in [smaller] films, whether [she’s working] for Ridley Scott, Rob Marshall, Kenneth Branagh, Sergio Castellitto, Fernando Trueba or Asghar Farhadi, with whom she has just wrapped ‘Everybody Knows’, which will come out in May.
Terzian also made reference to Cruz’s working relationship with filmmakers Alejandro Amenábar and Pedro Almodóvar, with whom she has made several films, including ‘All About My Mother’, ‘I’m So Excited!’ and ‘Volver’ – for which her performance as Raimunda, a mother living in Madrid’s suburbs, earned her a Best Actress prize at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival and an Oscar nomination.
Cruz – who is married to fellow Spanish actor Javier Bardem – is the latest major Hollywood name to be honoured at the Cesar Awards.
Previous winners include Sean Penn, George Clooney, Michael Douglas and Meryl Streep and Sean Penn.
The full nominations for the 43nd Cesar Awards will be announced on January 31.
Penelope Cruz to be honoured at Cesar Awards
