The 81st edition of the Venice International Film Festival closed with the Golden Lion assigned to Pedro Almodóvar for his first English-language film, “The Room Next Door”The film, starring Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore, explores the delicate issues of end-of-life and euthanasia, offering an intense reflection on the right to choose when to end one's existence.
Almodóvar: A Golden Lion with a Deep Meaning
The Spanish director, who already received the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement in 2019, dedicated the award to his family and the film's two protagonists.This award belongs to Tilda and Julianne, who performed a miracle,” Almodóvar declared during his acceptance speech.
"I dedicate Leo to my family, to my brother Agustin – said the director from the stage – this is my first film in English, but the spirit is Spanish so I continue in my language. I share the award with the whole crew but especially with Tilda and Julianne, the award belongs to them. They have done a miracle and I don't have enough words to thank them, the film is about a woman who is dying in a dying world and about the woman who wants to share her last days with her. The film is also about solidarity without limits but also about the decision to end one's life when it becomes only pain. Leaving this world clean is a human right not a political fact, I hope that governments have laws adequate to this desire if it goes against the beliefs of some I would say to those practitioners that they respect individual decisions. Human beings must be free to live and die".
Silver Lion to Maura Delpero
Among the big winners of the evening, Maura Delpero was awarded on Silver Lion – Grand Jury Prize with “Vermiglio”, a drama set at the end of the Second World War. The Best Director Award, instead, went to Brady Corbet for “The Brutalist,” a historical portrait of Hungarian architect László Tóth, a Holocaust survivor played by Adrien Brody.
Coppa Volpi: Lindon and Kidman protagonists
La Volpi Cup for best female performance was assigned to Nicole Kidman for her touching performance in “Babygirl” by Halina Reijn. The actress, absent from the award ceremony due to the death of her mother, expressed her grief in a statement read on stage: “I arrived in Venice to find out shortly after that my mother had passed away, I was shocked and had to return to my family. This moment is incredible, my heart is broken”.
Il best actor was Vincent Lindon for “Jouer avec le Feu” (The Quiet Son), in the role of a father who must deal with the difficult path of his son attracted to neo-Nazi extremism.
The other prizes
Il Special Jury Award was awarded to “April” by Dea Kulumbegashvili, while Murilo Hauser and Heitor Lorega won the Best Screenplay Award with “Ainda Estou Aqui” by Walter Salles. The Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actor it was conquered by Paul Kircher for “Leurs Enfants Après Eux”.
81st Venice Film Festival: All the Winners
Golden Lion for Best Film:
The Room Next Door by Pedro Almodovar (Spain)
Silver Lion – Grand Jury Prize:
Vermilion by Maura Delpero (Italy, France, Belgium)
Silver Lion for Best Director:
The Brutalist by Brady Corbet (UK)
Coppa Volpi for Best Female Performance:
Nicole Kidman in the movie Baby girl by Halina Reijn (United States)
Coppa Volpi for Best Male Performance:
Vincent Lindon in the movie Jouer Avec Le Feu (The Quiet Son) by Delphine Coulin and Muriel Coulin (France)
Best Screenplay Award:
Murilo Hauser and Heitor Lorega for the film The In Between by Walter Salles (Brazil, France)
Special Jury Prize:
April by Dea Kulumbegashvili (France, Italy, Georgia)
Marcello Mastroianni Award for a Young Emerging Actor:
Paul Kircher in the film Leurs Enfants Après Eux (And Their Children After Them) by Ludovic Boukherma and Zoran Boukherma (France)
Horizons Section
Orizzonti Award for Best Film:
Anul Nou Care Na Fost (The New Year That Never Came) by Bogdan Mureșanu (Romania, Serbia)
Orizzonti Award for Best Director:
Sarah Friedland for the film Familiar Touch (United States)
Special Jury Prize Orizzonti:
Hemme Nin Öldüğü Günlerden Biri (One of Those Days When Hemme Dies) by Murat Fıratoğlu (Türkiye)
Orizzonti Award for Best Female Performance:
Kathleen Chalfant in the movie Familiar Touch by Sarah Friedland (United States)
Orizzonti Award for Best Male Performance:
Francesco Gheghi in the film Family by Francesco Costabile (Italy)
Orizzonti Award for Best Screenplay:
Scandar Copts for the film Happy Holidays (Palestine, Germany, France, Italy, Qatar)
Orizzonti Award for Best Short Film:
Who Loves The Sun. by Arshia Shakiba (Canada)
Venice Short Film Nomination for the European Film Awards 2024:
René Goes To War by Luca Ferri, Morgan Menegazzo, Mariachiara Pernisa (Italy)
Lion of the Future – Venice Award for a First Work “Luigi De Laurentiis”
Lion of the Future – Venice Award for a First Work:
Familiar Touch by Sarah Friedland (United States)
Extra Horizons
Spectator Award – Armani Beauty:
Shahed (The Witness) by Nader Saeivar (Germany, Austria)
Venice Classics
Venice Classics Award for Best Documentary on Cinema:
Chain Reactions by Alexandre O. Philippe (United States)
Venice Classics Award for Best Restored Film:
Ecce Bombo by Nanni Moretti (Italy, 1978)
Venice Immersive
Venice Immersive Grand Prix:
Ito Meikyu by Boris Labbé (France, Luxembourg)
Venice Immersive Special Jury Prize:
Oto's Planet by Gwenael François (Luxembourg, Canada, France)
Venice Immersive Achievement Award:
Impulse: Playing With Reality by Barry Gene Murphy, May Abdalla (UK, France)
Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement 2024:
Sigourney Weaver
Peter weir
Cartier Glory to the Filmmaker Award 2024:
Claude Lelouch
Campari Passion for Film Award:
Paola Comencini
