Ralph Fiennes and David Cronenberg are to receive lifetime achievement awards at the London Film Festival, organizers said Tuesday. Fiennes will receive a British Film Institute Fellowship in recognition of “a singular career” that has blended arthouse dramas and mainstream hits. Fiennes — who plays evil Lord Voldemort in “Harry Potter” series — said he was “extremely honored and delighted” by the award. Fiennes' directorial debut, an adaptation of Shakespeare's “Coriolanus,” will screen during the Oct. 12-27 festival. Cronenberg, the director of “Videodrome,” ‘'The Fly” and “Crash,” will receive the same honor in recognition of films “exploring the darker impulses and inner lives of his characters.” Cronenberg said he was thrilled to be the first Canadian to receive the award. “British cinema has been a potent inspiration for me, and to be associated with this particular group of filmmakers is tremendously exhilarating,” he said.
