Venice, Jul 20 (PTI) British actor Tilda Swinton and Hong Kong filmmaker Ann Hui will be honoured with the Golden Lions for Lifetime Achievement at the 2020 Venice Film Festival.

The decision was taken by the Board of Directors upon the recommendation of festival director Alberto Barbera, read a statement from the festival organisers.

Also Read | Ahaana Krishna's Sarcastic Viral Video 'Love Letter To Cyber Bullies' Outlines How One Must Deal With Faceless Online Trolls (Watch Video).

Swinton is best known for starring in films such as "War Requiem", "Edward II", "Michael Clayton", "We Need to Talk About Kevin", "Snowpiercer" and "Suspiria".

"This great festival has been dear to my heart for three decades: to be honoured by her in this way is extremely humbling.

Also Read | Amber Heard Takes to the Witness Box in Libel Case, Accuses Johnny Depp of Physical and Verbal Abuse.

"To come to Venice, this year of all years, to celebrate immortal cinema and her defiant survival in the face of all the challenges that evolution might throw at her - as at us all - will be my sincere joy," the 59-year-old actor said.

Hui, 73, is considered one of the most critically acclaimed filmmaker from the Hong Kong New Wave. Ever since her debut with 1979 feature "The Secret", starring Sylvia Chang, the director has often highlighted the prevalent social issues through her work.

Her filmography includes titles such as Vietnamese refugees drama "Boat People" (1982), "Song of the Exile" (1990), "Summer Snow" (1995), "Ordinary Heroes" (1999) and "The Golden Era" (2014), which premiered in Venice.

"I am so happy to receive this news and honoured for the award! So happy that I feel I cannot find the words. I just hope everything in the world will turn better soon and everybody can feel again as happy as I am in this moment," the filmmaker said.

The 77th edition of the Venice Film Festival will be held from September 2 to 12 this year.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)