Camaraderie stole the spotlight at the Torino Film Festival as Spike Lee and Antonio Banderas each dropped to one knee, presenting the other with a lifetime achievement award at Friday’s opening ceremony.

The American auteur and Spanish icon were among 12 film luminaries honored with the festival’s Stella della Mole trophy, modeled on the 12-point star that crowns Turin’s iconic National Cinema Museum. Filmmakers Claude Lelouch and Alexander Sokurov, and actors Jacqueline Bisset, Daniel Brühl, and Hanna Schygulla were also celebrated, before the festival kicked off with a screening of David Freyne’s “Eternity.”

“Acting has made me who I am,” Banderas said in Italian, addressing the stylish crowd at Turin’s Teatro Regio opera house. “This story began in the theater, and now I’m find

See Full Page