PRESS ASSOCIATION -- Richard Gere will collect an honorary acting award at the Rome Film Festival opening next month.
Festival organisers cited the Hollywood actor's work with such great directors as Robert Altman, Akira Kurosawa and Sidney Lumet, as well as his humanitarian work.
During the festival, the star of American Gigolo and Pretty Woman will hold a meeting with movie buffs to discuss his decades-long career.
The festival will also screen a restored version of Days Of Heaven, a film directed by Terrence Malick in 1978 which starred a young Gere.
The Rome event, a recent addition to the international festival circuit, runs from October 27 to November 4.