American filmmaker Martin Scorsese has been awarded Spain's Princess of Astorias award for the arts, with the jury describing him as an uncontested major figure of contemporary cinema. New York-born of Italian descent, Scorsese has produced and directed dozens of fiction and documentary films, including "Taxi Driver", "Cape Fear", "Casino" and "The Wolf of Wall Street." The 75-year-old has also worked on popular TV series and performed as an actor. The jury says describes his work as "transcendent," uniting "mastery, innovation and classicism." The 50,000-euro ($61,000) award announced Wednesday is the first of eight prizes —also including social sciences, sports and scientific research— handed out annually by a foundation named for Crown Princess Leonor.

Source: ABC News April 25, 2018 10:07 UTC