American film director wins prestigious Spanish prize for arts

American film director Francis Ford Coppola was on Wednesday named as the winner of the 2015 Princess of Asturias Prize for the Arts.

The Awards this year change their name to become the Princess of Asturias, rather than the Prince of Asturias Awards, in the wake of the ascension of King Felipe VI, former Prince of Asturias, to the throne and his replacement by his daughter Leonora as heir to the throne.

They are the most prestigious in Spain and carry a 50,000 euro cash prize (around 55,000 U.S. dollars) and a statue by artist Joan Miro, which are presented in a glamorous awards ceremony in the city of Oviedo in October.

The Princess of Asturias awards are given in eight different categories: Arts, Social Sciences, Sport, Concord, Literature, International Cooperation, Technical and Scientific Research and Communications and Humanities.

The Arts Award is the first to be decided this year and was awarded to the 76--year--old Coppola, who defeated 30 other candidates in the vote of the jury, who considered him to be a "vital figure" in understanding the transformation and the contradictions of the film industry and of cinemagraphic art", while being "decisive" in the industries growth.

Coppola has directed such groundbreaking films as 'Apocalypse Now', 'The Godfather' trilogy, 'American Graffiti," 'New York Stories' and 'The Great Gatsby", and has won five Oscars during his career.

Last year's Arts Award was won by architect Frank Gehry, while other film directors who have won the Award include Woody Allen and Spaniard, Pedro Almodovar.

The remaining seven awards will be announced over the coming weeks. Enditem