Meryl Streep attends the Venice Film Festival to promote her new movie “50 Violins”, which was now renamed to “Music of the Heart”. The drama has it’s world premiere in Venice and will release in cinemas this fall.

As expected, the Academy Award for Best Actress went to Gwyneth Paltrow for “Shakespeare in Love”. Meryl, in a dress made for her by Valentino, attended the ceremony with her husband and her daughter Mary Willa.

Miramax co-chairmen Bob and Harvey Weinstein has presented the award to Meryl Streep, who recently wrapped “50 Violins” for Miramax Films. She received the 1999 Independent Feature Project Gotham Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Meryl and director Carl Franklin currently attend the Berlin Film Festival to promote their film “One True Thing” which releases this March in Germany. And surprisingly, Meryl won the Berlinale Kamera, an award to personalities to whom the Berlin International Film Festival feels particularly indebted. Three of her past films, “The Deer Hunter”, “Out of Africa” and “Marvin’s Room” were shown at the Berlinale Film Festival in the past.

Meryl is nominated for an Academy Award as Best Actress for her performance in “One True Thing”. The other nominees are Cate Blanchett (Elizabeth), Fernanda Montenegro (Central do Brasil), Gwyneth Paltrow (Shakespeare in Love) and Emily Watson (Hillary & Jackie). The show will be held on March 21, 1999, hosted by Whoopi Goldberg. Meryl has received her last Oscar nomination in 1996 for “The Bridges of Madison County”.

New York Women in Communications, Inc. has announced the 1999 honorees for its 29th Annual Matrix Awards. The Awards recognize exceptional women who have distinguished themselves in the communications fields of advertising, books, broadcasting, film, magazines, new media, newspapers and public relations. Actress Meryl Streep and anchorwoman Katie Couric are among the winners.