Mrinal Sen to receive lifetime achievement award at Osian

Mumbai, May 13 (IANS) Veteran Bengali filmmaker Mrinal Sen, who turned 85 Tuesday, will be honoured with the Lifetime Achievement award at the 10th Osian's-Cinefan Festival of Asian and Arab Cinema, starting July 10 in the capital.

A pioneer of the alternative cinema movement, Sen made films like 'Bhuvan Shome', 'Ek Din Achanak' and 'Mrigaya'.

The Osian's-Cinefan will also honour Jose 'Pete' F. Lacaba, considered as the only poet warrior of the Philippines, with Aruna Vasudev Lifetime Achievement Award for Writing on Cinema.

Lacaba has authored six poetry collections in Filipino and a collection of journalistic reportage in English titled 'Days of Disquiet, Nights of Rage'. Other than this, he has written screenplays for award-winning films including 'Jaguar', 'Bayan Ko: Kapit sa Patalim', 'Orapronobis', 'Sister Stella L.', 'Eskapo', 'Segurista' and 'Rizal sa Dapitan'.

'We are delighted to honour two eminent personalities from the world of cinema. Both have contributed in a seminal way to the seventh art and both have placed on their works an individual and creative stamp,' Latika Padgaonkar, joint festival director Osian's-Cinefan, said in a press release.

The awards will be presented at the 10th Anniversary of the Film Festival to be held in the capital.

This year, a grand curtain raiser to the festival will be held in Mumbai from June 13 to 14.