The Venice Film Festival was in full swing Friday, its third day, with John Woo receiving a Golden Lion award for lifetime achievement, while Sofia Coppola's "Somewhere" made its world debut.
Woo has directed over 25 films including the action blockbusters "Broken Arrow," "Face/Off," "Broken Arrow" and "Mission Impossible II." He recently returned to making movies in China after 16 years in Hollywood.
According to the Associated Press, Woo said he hoped his work could be a link between Asia and the West at the award presentation.
"I would like to be a bridge between the good things of the West and the East, so we can further our mutual knowledge and build a strong friendship," he said.
Woo currently has several action movie projects in development. His new film "Reign of Assassins" starring Michelle Yeoh is showing out of competition.
Earlier in the day, Coppola and her "Somewhere" star Stephen Dorff talked with the press about the making of the movie, which takes place mostly in hotels, especially the Chateau Marmont.
"A lot of the characters I am interested in with are in a moment transition, so it seems fitting they would be in an impermanent setting," Coppola told AP.
Coppola said she wanted to do "a portrait of today's L.A." for her follow-up to "Marie Antoinette." "I wanted to try to write a story about a guy's point of view, something about the emotional life of a man, because it was different for me," Coppola said.
