Oscars Academy honours Spanish film-maker Pedro Almodovar
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Director Pedro Almodovar (left), and Jean Paul Gaultier pose for the media as they arrive before a tribute evening for Almodovar on behalf of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, at the Curzon Soho cinema in central London, on Thursday, Dec 13, 2012, celebrating the work of the Oscar-winning film-maker. Spanish movie director Almodovar could not afford to study film-making, but has worked for over 40 years to become one of the most prolific film-makers in the world. -- PHOTO : AP
LONDON (AP) - Iconoclastic director Pedro Almodovar was hailed by Hollywood on Thursday at an Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences retrospective in London.
The Spanish film-maker received tributes from colleagues and admirers, including fashion designer Jean-Paul Gaultier, screenwriter Peter Morgan and fellow director Stephen Frears - who praised Almodovar's "transgressive, inventive" spirit.
Quentin Tarantino, in a video message, said Almodovar was the contemporary director he admired most.
Almodovar is part of a creative generation that emerged after Spain ended decades of dictatorship in the late 1970s. His quirky and sometimes outrageous films helped launch the careers of Penelope Cruz, Antonio Banderas and Javier Bardem.
