Italian filmmaker Lina Wertmüller hardly remembers making history as the first Oscar-nominated female director for her work on the 1970s film “Seven Beauties.” But she does proudly recall trolling the ceremony by swapping seats with the wife of a famous Italian movie critic when her name was announced — much to the confusion of the reaction-camera operator.

“She’s always joking in her life,” said Wertmüller’s daughter, Maria Zulima Job, speaking partially through an Italian translator in an interview Thursday with The Times in Los Angeles. “She was always like that.” The 91-year-old rule-breaker didn’t win the golden statuette then, but 42 years later, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will bestow an honorary Oscar upon her at Sunday’s Governors Awards.