Omar Sharif to be honoured
Actor Omar Sharif will receive a Golden Lion at the 2003 Venice Film Festival in honour of his lifetime achievement in film, it was announced today.
The Egyptian actor will also be represented at the festival with a new film Monsieur Ibrahim et les Fleurs du Coran by Francois Duperyon.
Sharif, 73, plays an Islamic trader in poor Parisian neighbourhood who forms a relationship with a young Jew.
Sharif, who lives in Paris, is known for roles in films including Doctor Zhivago, Lawrence of Arabia, Funny Girl, and the 1999 film with Antonio Banderas The 13th Warrior. The Venice Film Festival begins on August 26.
Last week he was fined and given a one month suspended sentence for head-butting a policeman at a casino near Paris.
