A surprise from Jim Jarmusch, who wins the Golden Lion with Father Mother Sister Brother, while The Voice of Hind Rajab receives the Silver Lion. Toni Servillo wins the Volpi Cup for Sorrentino’s La Grazia. Here are all the winners of the 82nd edition
Jim Jarmusch stunned everyone by winning the Golden Lion at #Venezia82 with Father Mother Sister Brother, overtaking the heavy favorite The Voice of Hind Rajab by Kaouther Ben Hania, which had received 24 minutes of applause at its official screening. The film about the young girl from Gaza had to settle for the Silver Lion – Grand Jury Prize.
Great Italian success with Toni Servillo, who won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor for La Grazia by Paolo Sorrentino, while Benny Safdie was awarded the Silver Lion for Best Director for The Smashing Machine.
The closing ceremony saw the cast of Chien 51, the final film by Cédric Jimenez starring Gilles Lellouche, Adèle Exarchopoulos, and Louis Garrel, walk the red carpet amidst moments of tension and references to Palestine by several award winners.
The awards ceremony
The closing ceremony proceeded with perfectly timed rhythms, which occasionally created humorous moments, such as when Taiwanese director Singing Chen sped up her speech to stay within the time limits.
References to the Palestinian situation were frequent, even beyond the occasion of the award for The Voice of Hind Rajab. To give just a couple of examples, Ana Cristina Barragán concluded her thanks with “long live South American cinema and free Palestine!” and Benedetta Porcaroli dedicated the award also to her colleagues on the “Gaza Flotilla.”
The Golden Lion to Jim Jarmusch and all the other awards of #Venezia82
Everyone expected the Golden Lion to go to The Voice of Hind Rajab, but when Jim Jarmusch stepped onto the Red Carpet, it became clear that the cards had likely been reshuffled and, as always, predictions were overturned. The Venezia 82 Jury, chaired by Alexander Payne, assigned the following awards to the feature films in competition:
- Golden Lion for Best Film: FATHER MOTHER SISTER BROTHER by Jim Jarmusch
- Silver Lion – Grand Jury Prize: THE VOICE OF HIND RAJAB by Kaouther Ben Hania
- Silver Lion – Award for Best Director to Benny Safdie for the film THE SMASHING MACHINE
- Volpi Cup for Best Actress to Xin Zhilei, in the film RI GUA ZHONG TIAN (THE SUN RISES ON US ALL) by Cai Shangjun
- Volpi Cup for Best Actor to Toni Servillo in the film LA GRAZIA by Paolo Sorrentino
- Special Jury Prize to SOTTO LE NUVOLE by Gianfranco Rosi
- Award for Best Screenplay to Valérie Donzelli and Gilles Marchand for the film À PIED D’OEUVRE by Valérie Donzelli
- Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actor or Actress to Luna Wedler in the film SILENT FRIEND by Ildikó Enyedi
All the awards from the Orizzonti section
Among the films we loved in this section, the great absentee was the Iranian film Komedie Elahi by director Ali Asgari. The award went to an intense film, at times difficult to watch, which depicts a brutal Mexico where authentic feelings can still bloom, like flowers in the desert.
The Orizzonti Jury, chaired by French director Julia Ducournau, assigned the following awards:
- Orizzonti Award for Best Film: EN EL CAMINO (ON THE ROAD) by Mexican director David Pablos
- Orizzonti Award for Best Director to Anuparna Roy for the film SONGS OF FORGOTTEN TREES
- Orizzonti Special Jury Prize to HARÀ WATAN (LOST LAND) by Akio Fujimoto
- Orizzonti Award for Best Actress to Benedetta Porcaroli for the film IL RAPIMENTO DI ARABELLA by Carolina Cavalli
- Orizzonti Award for Best Actor to Giacomo Covi for the film UN ANNO DI SCUOLA by Laura Samani
- Orizzonti Award for Best Screenplay to the Ecuadorian Ana Cristina Barragán for the film HIEDRA (THE IVY)
- Orizzonti Award for Best Short Film: to WITHOUT KELLY by the Swedish director, elegant in her pregnancy, Lovisa Siren
Awards dedicated to the cinema of the past and the cinema of the future
The Venice Classics Jury, chaired by Tommaso Santambrogio and composed of 23 film students from Italian universities, awarded the Venice Classics Prize for Best Documentary on Cinema to:
- MATA HARI by Joe Beshenkovsky and James A. Smith (USA)
While the Venice Classics Prize for Best Restored Film went to the Iranian film:
- BASHU, GHARIBEYE KOOCHAK (BASHU, THE LITTLE STRANGER) by Bahram Beyzaie from 1985
Looking instead to the future, the Jury for the Venice Award for a Debut Film, chaired by Charlotte Wells and composed of Erige Sehiri and Silvio Soldini, awarded the Lion of the Future from among all the debut feature films present in the various competitive sections of the Festival (Official Selection and Independent and Parallel Sections).
The Luigi De Laurentiis Venice Award for a Debut Film, presented as part of the Giornate degli Autori, goes to the film:
- SHORT SUMMER by Nastia Korkia
Also with a view to the cinema of the Future, the Venice Immersive Jury, chaired by Eliza McNitt and composed of Gwenael François and Boris Labbé, awarded:
- The Venice Immersive Grand Prize to: THE CLOUDS ARE TWO THOUSAND METERS UP by Singing Chen
- The Venice Immersive Special Jury Prize to: LESS THAN 5GR OF SAFFRON by Négar Motevalymeidanshah
- The Venice Immersive Achievement Prize to: A LONG GOODBYE by Kate Voet and Victor Maes (Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands)
A shared recognition of the Armani Beauty Audience Award (Orizzonti Extra Section) was for the film: CALLE MÁLAGA by Maryam Touzani with Carmen Maura, which had moved us so much during the first days of the Festival.
See you!
We leave the Lido as it is almost midnight. Festive notes drift from the kiosks along the seafront. The moon is full and perfect, reflecting its rays on the surface of the sea. What better way to conclude a fantastic film festival than by making an appointment for next year.
Article by Pietro Gallina (VeneziaCinema) with Lucia Pecoraro.
Photos by Rossana Viola.
