Martin Scorsese is set to turn lecturer for a day to share his views on the evolution of cinema at a special event in Washington, D.C.

The Oscar winner has been invited by officials at the National Endowment for the Humanities to be their 42nd Jefferson Lecturer, an honour previously bestowed upon authors Robert Penn Warren, Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Toni Morrison.

Scorsese will be the first filmmaker to take to the podium and will receive a $10,000 (£6,250) cheque as a thanks for his services.

Jim Leach, chairman of the organisation, says, "Martin Scorsese is a scholar of, advocate for, and icon of American cinema."

The Raging Bull director will also discuss the "art of storytelling and the inspiration he draws from the humanities" when he steps onstage at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing arts on 1 April (13).