Los Angeles, June 8 (IANS): Veteran filmmaker Ridley Scott will be honoured with the 30th American Cinematheque Award.

The 78-year-old's friends and colleagues will be on hand to honour him at an annual benefit gala at the Beverly Hilton in October this year, reports aceshowbiz.com. 

"The American Cinematheque is extremely pleased to honour Ridley Scott as the 30th recipient of the American Cinematheque award at our celebration this year," Rick Nicita, American Cinematheque Chairman, said in a statement. 

"To state it simply, Ridley Scott is one of the greatest directors in the history of the motion picture," he added. 

Nicita said that the organisation is "thrilled" to "honour a true modern master". 

"In a business where careers burn brightly and then flame out, the pure longevity of his permanent residence in the very top tier of directors is astonishing. 

"Adding to his lustre, his production company Scott Free, formed with his brother Tony, has produced a long string of successful movie and television projects. We are thrilled to honour a true modern master," he concluded. 

Previous honourees of the award include Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Mel Gibson, Tom Cruise, Julia Roberts, Robert Downey Jr, Al Pacino, Matt Damon and Reese Witherspoon. 

Scott is currently directing Michael Fassbender and Katherine Waterston in "Alien: Covenant", which is set for an August 4, 2017 release. He will next direct the Western movie "Wraiths of the Broken Land" for Fox.