The Criterion Collection

Director Francesco Rosi, whose intense, ripped-from-the-headlines films like Salvatore Giuliano and Hands over the City are benchmarks of Italian political cinema, will receive a lifetime achievement award at this month’s Locarno Film Festival. In a press release, Locarno’s artistic director, Olivier Père, is quoted as saying, “We are honored and delighted to pay tribute to Maestro Rosi . . . His civic engagement, forceful denunciation, and unconventional creativity will remain a shining example for generations to come.” The sixty-third edition of the festival begins tomorrow, and the ceremony for Rosi is scheduled for August 13, accompanied by a screening of his 1970 film Many Wars Ago. Rosi will also participate in a public conversation that day, moderated by film historian Sergio Toffetti.