Accepting the Leone d’Oro award, the 68-year-old Benigni joked that he was not worthy of a lion, saying he deserved a kitten instead.
True to form, Benigni gave a theatrical and energised speech, declaring his eternal love for his wife, muse and long-term artistic collaborator, Nicoletta Braschi.
“I can’t dedicate this award to Nicoletta because it is already hers,” he said.
“We have done everything together for 40 years.
“I only know one way to measure time: with you and without you.”
Benigni went on to joke that he would be happy to take just the lion’s tail, insisting that the wings belonged to his wife because anything that ever “took off” in his career was thanks to her.
Benigni also dedicated the award to “all the directors who believed in him”.
“I thank all those who have loved me and simply believed in me from the very beginning, those who introduced me to the world of show business,” he said.
“I come from a poor family, from nothing...so many people have helped me on this journey that has led me to this wonderful gift.”
Born in the Tuscan town of Misericordia, Benigni began his career in the early 1970s.
He soon became one of Italy’s most popular actors and directors and with his 1999 Oscar-winning film Life is Beautiful, which he co-wrote, directed and starred in.
Benigni recently returned to the big screen playing Geppetto in Matteo Garrone’s live-action adaptation of Pinocchio.
It was a box office champ in Italy in 2019, has been recently released in the US by Roadside Attractions.
It has also been nominated for the 2021 Oscars in the costume design and makeup and hairstyling categories.
The 78th Venice Film Festival opened on Wednesday with the world premiere of Pedro Almodóvar’s Parallel Mothers, starring Penélope Cruz.
The festival runs from September 1 to 11.
