After nearly three decades as a filmmaker, Quentin Tarantino is going to be honored with the lifetime achievement award from the 16th Rome Film Festival. This prestigious prize is reserved for the cream of the cinematic crop, and cements Tarantino's legacy as a director of repute.

Despite the award's exclusivity, Tarantino is not the only filmmaker receiving it at this year's festival. Tim Burton, who began his career by directing Beetlejuice and the 1989 Batman movie, has also been deemed worthy of a lifetime achievement award. These two filmmakers are each known for their distinctive styles and cinematic zest, but otherwise they could not be more different.

Tarantino's work is aggressive, brash, and proudly referential: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood ends with Leonardo DiCaprio's character using a flamethrower to prevent the murder of Sharon Tate (played by Margot Robbie). Burton takes a quieter and more surreal approach to storytelling, dressing Johnny Depp's characters in bizarre costumes as he examines the nature of relationships.

However, there is no doubt that both directors are worthy recipients of the award. The two of them will travel separately to Rome, a city with a long artistic heritage, in order to attend the event. The 2021 festival will also include a Q&A with author Zadie Smith and a retrospective of the late filmmaker Arthur Penn, who created movies such as Bonnie and Clyde and The Miracle Worker.

The full program for the 16th Rome Film Festival will be announced in early October.