Al Pacino honoured at Rome film festival

By Silvia Aloisi

ROME (Reuters) - A lifetime achievement award for Oscar-winning actor Al Pacino kicked off the Rome film festival on Wednesday, bringing a Hollywood veteran to the movie showcase which this year has a markedly European flavour.

Pacino received the award as one of the great alumni of New York's Actors Studio -- the celebrated drama school where he and other greats like Robert De Niro, the late Paul Newman and Marilyn Monroe learned the ropes of the business.

He also took questions from members of the public -- a trademark feature of the Rome festival where audiences get to meet their favourite stars.

The 68-year old, who comes from a family of Italian immigrants to America, was nominated for an Oscar several times for films like "The Godfather," "Serpico" and "Dog Day Afternoon."

He won the golden statuette once, as best actor for his portrayal of a blind man in "Scent of a Woman" (1992).

Currently he is on the big screen with "Righteous Kill," where he and De Niro play two veteran cops on the trail of a serial killer in a film that was panned by the critics.

"It's hard to put on a suit, and getting harder -- with shirt and tie," he joked at a press conference, saying he was thrilled about the award.

"You feel as though someone is giving you a party and you don't quite know what you did to deserve it," he added.