“He is one of the most representative exponents of the modern cinema born during the nouvelles vagues of the 1960s. He and Roman Polanski are the two filmmakers who contributed most to the renewal of Polish cinema during that same period”, said the director of the Venice Film Festival, Alberto Barbera.

Jerzy Skolimowski participated in the Venice competition with 11 Minutes (Skopia Film) in 2015 and won the Special Jury Prize there with Essential Killing (Skopia Film) in 2010.

Starting 2016, the board of directors of the Venice Biennale, presided over by Paolo Baratta, decided to give out two Golden Lions for Lifetime Achievement: one to a director or a person from the world of film production and the second to an actor.