Director Peter Weir to receive Venice career honour

Peter Weir, the Australian director of Dead Poets Society and The Truman Show, will be honoured for his career at this year's Venice Film Festival, organisers say.

Weir, 79, had his international breakthrough with 1975's arthouse classic Picnic at Hanging Rock, moving on to work in Hollywood in the 1980s.

His other notable films include 1985's Witness, starring Harrison Ford, and the seafaring epic Master and Commander from 2003, with fellow Australian Russell Crowe in the lead role.

He received an Honorary Oscar Award in 2022 and will pick up a Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement in Venice.

"The Venice Film Festival and its Golden Lion are part of the folklore of our craft. To be singled out as a recipient for a lifetime's work as a director is a considerable honour," Weir said in a statement.

Venice hosts the world's oldest film festival on its Lido island. Its 81st edition is scheduled to run from August 28 to September 7, and the films in competition are due be announced in July.