Russian director and actor Nikita Mikhalkov will be awarded the lifetime achievements award of the 12th Sofia International Film Fest.

Mikhalkov is the second big name in cinema world to confirm his attendance as special guest of the fest after the Turkish-German director Fatih Akim.

Mikhalkov’s last film 12, which won the Leone d'Oro (Golden Lion) at the 2007 Venice Film Festival, would be screened during the Russian gala night of the Sofia Film Fest, avtora.com reported.

The film 12, which tells the story of a Chechnyan boy accused of the murder of his father, made two million US dollars at box offices in the first week of its release and is among the rivals for Oscar Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

Some of the most famous films of Mikhalkov are The Barber of Siberia, Dark Eyes and Unfinished Piece for Mechanical Piano.

Nikita Mikhalkov is son of Sergei Mikhalkov, a poet and play-writer, author of famous poems for children and the lyrics of the USSR national anthems, netinfo.bg. His mother was poetess and translator. Mikhalkov is brother of another famous Russian director, Andrei Konchalovsky.

The 12th Sofia International Film Fest will be held from March 6 to 16 2008.