US actor Kim Novak is to receive the Golden Lion award for lifetime achievement at the upcoming Venice International Film Festival (August 27-September 6, 2025).
The documentary Kim Novak’s Vertigo by Alexandre Philippe will also world premiere at the festival.
Novak’s acting credits include Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo, Joshua Logan’s Picnic and Richard Quine’s Bell, Book And Candle.
“Inadvertently becoming a screen legend, Kim Novak was one of the most beloved icons of an entire era of Hollywood films, from her auspicious debut during the mid-1950s until her premature and voluntary exile from the gilded cage of Los Angeles a short while later,” said Venice’s artistic director Alberto Barbera. “She never refrained from criticising the studio system, choosing her roles, who she let into her private life and even her name.
“Forced to renounce her given name, Marilyn Pauline, because it was associated with Monroe, she fought to conserve her last name, agreeing, in exchange, to dye her hair that shade of platinum blonde which set her apart. Independent and nonconformist, she created her own production company and went on strike to renegotiate a salary that was much lower than that of her male co-stars.”
Novak added: “I am deeply, deeply touched to receive the prestigious Golden Lion Award from such an enormously respected film festival. To be recognised for my body of work at this time in my life is a dream come true. I will treasure every moment I spend in Venice. It will fill my heart with joy.”
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