The Golden Lion is the top prize at the annual Venice Film Festival, which honours the stars of the world of cinema. Lynch is being recognised for his life-long career in film. The award will be given in September during a spcial ceremony, and his latest film, Inland Empire, will be shown.
Lynch is best known for his films The Elephant Man, Blue Velvet and Eraserhead. His movie Wild at Heart also earned him a Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1990.