The first of the eight Princess of Asturias Awards was announced in Oviedo in Spain. The jury nominated a shortlist of three for the Award for the Arts, German violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson and the American film director Francis Ford Coppola.<br /><br /> Revealing Francis Ford Coppola as the winner the president of the jury, Jose Llado y Fernandez-Urrutia called the director, “an exceptional storyteller who figures prominently in the history of the cinema. His career has been a continuous struggle to maintain total entrepreneurial and creative independence and in all facets he has evolved as a director, producer and screenwriter”.<br /><br /> The 76-year-old was born in Michigan. Stricken with polio as a child and confined to bed he created his own puppet show – the first inklings of his immense creative talent which was to grow throughout his professional life.<br /><br /> He developed an interest in film and studied theatre at the Hofstra University in New York. <br /><br /> In 1972
