<p>Friends and colleagues gathered in London on Thursday (December 13) evening to celebrate the work of Pedro Almodovar.</p><br /><p>The U.S. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) honored the Oscar-winning Spanish director for his nearly 40-year-long career.</p><br /><p>"This is very flattering you know that the AMPAS are think about me and about this tribute, because even when I start working and now you never -- at least I mean I never think about tributes and awards but when they arrive, when they come -- they make me feel very happy because this is in any case about my work or so and my work -- is my life. So, no I am very happy," Almodovar told Reuters Television on the red carpet at the Curzon cinema in Soho.</p><br /><p>63 year old Almodovar burst onto the international scene with his 1988 Oscar-nominated film "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown." He later won a best foreign language Oscar for his 1999 film "All About My Mother" and best original screenplay for 2002's "Talk to Her."</p><br /><p>Film writer Peter Morgan, whose screen-writing credits include "The Queen" and the most recent 007 movie "Skyfall", added:</p><br /><p>"He's a national hero in Spain. He's Lionel Messi of cinema and he's you know one of a handful auteur filmmakers that really deserve that title. You know a lot of filmmakers when you hear a film by somebody, it's not really deserved. But in his case it's thoroughly deserved. He's a unique author and completely original voice you know."</p><br /><p>The Spanish director is known for his portrayal of human emotions and strong female characters as well as his long-standing collaboration with actress Penelope Cruz.</p>
