Hill’s latest film Bullet to the Head, starring Sylvester Stallone, to world premiere at the festival following the awards ceremony.

American director, writer and producer Walter Hill [pictured] is to receive the inaugural Maverick Director Award at the upcoming Rome Film Festival, which runs Nov 9-17.

Hill will be presented with the award by Italian screenwriter, author and film producer Alessandro Camon at a ceremony on Nov 14, which will be followed by the world premiere of Hill’s latest film Bullet to the Head, starring Sylvester Stallone who will also be in attendance. The new award celebrates filmmakers who have broken new ground in cinema and consistently stand out from the crowd.

Most recently, Hill received a DGA Award for directing the acclaimed television movie Broken Trail, for which he also was awarded an Emmy, and he also received a DGA and Emmy Award for directing the pilot episode of western series Deadwood.

IM Global handle international sales on Bullet to the Head, which is set to be released in the UK on Feb 1, 2013 through Entertainment One, day-and-date with the US where the action-thriller will be distributed by Warner Bros.