Judi Dench to receive Japanese cultural award

Judi Dench will receive the Japanese Art Association's Praemium Imperiale in recognition of her contribution to acting.

Dench was announced as one of five Praemium Imperiale Laureates alongside British sculptor Anish Kapoor, artist Bill Viola, Japanese composer Seiji Ozawa and architect Ricardo Legoretta during a ceremony held in London this week.

The laureates also attended a special reception thrown by Queen Elizabeth II in their honour at Buckingham Palace.

Dench commented that she took great pride in receiving the Praemium Imperiale, saying: "I feel overwhelmed. I've been to Japan twice with the RSC [Royal Shakespeare Company] and I made a lot of really good friends."

The actress and her fellow Laureates will officially be given the Praemium Imperiale and a £115,000 ($183,344) monetary prize in Tokyo later this year.

Sophia Loren, French filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard, Oscar winner John Gielgud and director Ken Loach are among the previous recipients of the Praemium Imperiale.

Dench was also recently awarded a Fellowship by the British Film Institute (BFI).

My Week with Marilyn, in which Dench stars with Michelle Williams and Kenneth Branagh, is released on November 4 in US cinemas.

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Watch Judi Dench in the Jane Eyre trailer below: