Julia Roberts will receive a lifetime-achievement award at the San Sebastian film festival which gets underway on Friday in Spain with 15 movies in competition for the best movie award.

The 42-year-old Pretty Woman star will collect an honorary Donostia – which means San Sebastian in the Basque language – on Monday, the fourth day of the nine-day festival.

Roberts, who won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 2001 for her role as a trash-talking environmental crusader in Erin Brockovich, will present her latest film Eat Pray Love that day alongside Spanish co-star Javier Bardem.

“She has not limited herself to playing the beautiful girl; she has taken risks; she has made movies that break with the image of a romantic comedy to play mature roles like Erin Brockovich,” said festival director Mikel Olaciregui.

Past recipients of the award include Meryl Streep, Richard Gere and Woody Allen.