BAFTA to honor Martin Scorsese in February

(CBS/AP) LONDON - Britain's film academy is set to bestow its highest honor next month on "Hugo" director Martin Scorsese for his "outstanding and exceptional" contribution to cinema.

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Special Section: Awards Season

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts said Wednesday that the 69-year-old Scorsese, who won an Oscar for 2006's "The Departed," will receive its highest honor, the Academy Fellowship, at a ceremony Feb. 12 at London's Royal Opera House.

Academy chairman Tim Corrie said the director of "Taxi Driver," "Raging Bull" and "Shutter Island" was "a true inspiration to all young directors the world over."

Scorsese said he was honored to receive the fellowship, whose previous recipients include Charlie Chaplin, Alfred Hitchcock and Elizabeth Taylor.

The British awards, popularly known as BAFTAs, are considered an important indicator of likely success at Hollywood's Academy Awards.

According to imdb.com, Scorsese has been nominated for nine BAFTAs, most recently in 2011 as part of the team that produced the HBO series "Boardwalk Empire." He won in 1991 for his movie "Goodfellas."