Donald Sutherland, Agnes Varda and Exorcist cinematographer to get lifetime Oscars

Donald Sutherland and Agnes Varda will receive honorary Oscars at a ceremony in Los Angeles in November. PHOTOS: AFP, REUTERS

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Donald Sutherland, the star of MASH, The Hunger Games and more than 140 other movies, is to get a lifetime achievement Oscar, along with French New Wave director Agnes Varda, Oscar organisers said on Wednesday.

Sutherland and Varda will be joined by indie film director Charles Burnett and cinematographer Owen Roizman in receiving honorary Oscars at a ceremony in Los Angeles in November, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said in statement.

Academy president John Bailey said the honourees reflect "the breadth of international, independent and mainstream filmmaking, and are tributes to four great artists whose work embodies the diversity of our shared humanity".

Canadian actor Sutherland, 82, has a career spanning five decades starting with his 1967 breakthrough in "The Dirty Dozen. He went on to play wisecracking army surgeon Hawkeye Pierce in the 1970 movie version of MASH, as well as roles in the 1973 horror film Don't Look Now and the 1971 thriller Klute.

Sutherland, the father of 24 actor Kiefer Sutherland, played President Snow in all four films of the recent Hunger Games young adult movie franchise. He has never been nominated for an Oscar.

Called the mother of the French New Wave, Belgian-born Varda has experimented with shorts, documentaries and feature films during her career of more than 60 years. Her movies include Cleo From 5 To 7 (1962) and The Gleaners & I (2000).

Burnett is an independent film-maker whose work, including America Becoming (1991), has been praised for its portrayal of the African-American experience.

Roizman has five Oscar nominations for his work as a cinematographer on movies including The French Connection (1971), The Exorcist (1973) and Tootsie (1982).

The honorary Oscars will be presented at a gala dinner on Nov 11.

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.