British actor and comedian, John Cleese, received the honorary lifetime achievement award at the Sarajevo Film Festival on Wednesday in the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Cleese, best known for his performances as a member of the hugely popular Monty Python comedy group, was greeted with a standing ovation by thousands of film goers at an open air venue where he received the festival’s award for exceptional contributions to cinematic arts.

In his acceptance speech, Cleese said he accepted the honour “as a comedian” and added that “at this time in world history, we have never needed comedians more”.

The select club of celebrated filmmakers who received the award includes actors Robert De Niro, Angelina Jolie, and Benicio Del Toro, as well as film directors Mike Leigh, Stephen Frears, and Oliver Stone.

The 23rd Sarajevo Film Festival, which began in 1995 during the siege of Sarajevo throughout the Bosnian War (1992-95), and has since evolved into one of the most important film events in southeast Europe.