With Pedro Almodóvar that raises the Golden Lion while the hall applauds him loudly standing up, Venice 81, the Film Festival that this year brought a large number of stars back to the Lido, is archived. The ceremony in which the requests for cinema, the strong theme of the end of lifeThe genocide in Gazahelping women were, among thanks and emotions, the topic of the speeches of the winners. In the first row of the gallery in the center he sat, without walking the red carpetthe new minister of culture Alexander Giuli. Only two weeks ago that same seat was occupied by Gennaro Sangiulianoforced to resign yesterday by a scandal.
THE NEW MINISTER AND THE CLOSING OF THE FESTIVAL
Giuli followed the ceremony, with one eye on her cell phone, having the president of the Biennale at her side Pietrangelo Buttafuocohis historic friend. And Buttafuoco, declaring the 81st Venice Film Festival closed, in making an appointment for the 82nd which will take place from 27 August to 6 September 2025, recited a phrase from Epistles of Horace: «Caelum, non animum mutant qui trans mare currunt» (“Those who go to sea change not their soul, but the sky”), which could be a wish for Giuli.
ALMODOVAR AND HIS MESSAGE ON THE END OF LIFE
The president of the jury Isabelle Huppertwearing a white sculpture dress (the question in the room was: how will she take it off now?), announced the award to Almodóvargiven unanimously, for the film The room next door. The director, at his first film in English, was moved, he spoke of the “miracle” that his great actresses Julianne Moore And Tilda Swinton they managed to do every day on the set of this story about a woman at the end of her days and her friend chosen to accompany her in this end of life. “Every human being must be free to choose this moment with dignity and governments must make decisions, make regulations to help people and respect them,” said Almodovar.
RECOGNITION FOR MAURA DELPERO AND HER FILM
Italy is there, arrived on stage for the second prize, the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prizewith a director as tenacious as she is minute, Maura Delpero with his second work, Vermilionfilmed almost entirely with non-protagonist actors, over long months to respect the seasons, and in dialect. Agnieszka Hollandin the jury of Venice 81, hugs her and gives her the lion. “This film was possible with public support. I would like to point out – said Delpero – that without these funds the film would have had to betray itself, it would not have had the dialect that is the music of this film, it would not have had real faces but perhaps actors who would have made money, it would not have been able to wait for the rhythms of nature. It is important that there is a dialogue between independent cinema and the institutions”, concluded the director looking right towards the stage where the new minister was sitting. Not only that: Delpero seized the opportunity of the award on the night of Lions to also talk about family policy, from her example as a mother director, a policy of conciliation between work and family. “I hope that the society that reproduces with women’s bodies feels this problem as its own and does not leave women alone,” she concluded.
APPEALS FOR ITALIAN CINEMA
The appeal for the cinema came after the invitation of Nanni Moretti to fellow filmmakers. On stage collecting the award for best restoration at the Venice Classics Here’s Bombo (“an unexpected, disproportionate, exaggerated award given the films in competition from De Sica to Fritz Lang, but which moves me because it evidently still manages to speak to today’s youth”) said in a strong voice: «Perhaps we should be more reactive towards the new terrible law on cinema». In short, Giuli had some warnings from the stage in Venice about the state of alert in cinema.
AN EVENING OF GREAT EMOTIONS AND AWARDS
The evening, politics aside, was also much more. The surprise Nicole Kidman who, called back to the Lido to be awarded with the Volpi Cup For Babygirlreceived the news of her mother’s death and returned home, and the outpouring of thanks from Vincent LindonVolpi Cup for Us and themto President Huppert: «so generous towards a French actor and it’s rare» she said before kissing the jurors one by one and joking with self-deprecation about her facial disorders «here my tics start».
THE MOST TOUCHING STORIES OF THE EVENING
The most tender? Definitely the young one Francesco Gheghibest actor in Horizons for the movie Family Of Francesco Costabilewhich tells a true story of domestic violence and a parricide. A very long speech, interrupted by sincere emotion, and with special dedications (even to his grandfather in heaven) to his parents “who raised me with love and serenity that we take too much for granted”.
SARAH FRIEDLAND’S FEAT
The exploit? Definitely that of the director Sarah Friedlandwho with his first work Familiar Touch has received three major awards. An American Jew, Friedland expressed solidarity with the Palestinian people. Same proclamation from Scandar Copts that for Happy Holidayswhich talks about two Palestinian and Israeli families in comparison.
Here are the official awards of Venice 81 awarded this evening during the closing ceremony of the Venice International Film Festival in the Sala Grande at the Palazzo del Cinema.
VENICE 81
The Jury of VENICE 81, chaired by Isabelle Huppert and composed of James Gray, Andrew Haigh, Agnieszka Holland, Kleber Mendonça Filho, Abderrahmane Sissako, Giuseppe Tornatore, Julia von Heinz and Zhang Ziyi, after having viewed the 21 films in competition, has decided to award the following prizes:
- GOLDEN LION for best film:
THE ROOM NEXT DOOR by Pedro Almodóvar (Spain) - SILVER LION – Grand Jury Prize:
VERMIGLIO by Maura Delpero (Italy, France, Belgium) - SILVER LION Award for best director:
THE BRUTALIST by Brady Corbet (UK) - COPPA VOLPI for best female performance:
NICOLE KIDMAN in the film BABYGIRL by Halina Reijn (United States) - COPPA VOLPI for best male performance:
VINCENT LINDON in the film 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 AINDA ESTOU AQUI 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
The Orizzonti Jury of the 81st Venice International Film Festival, chaired by Debra Granik and composed of Ali Asgari, Soudade Kaadan, Christos Nikou, Tuva Novotny, Gábor Reisz and Valia Santella, after having viewed the 19 feature films and 13 short films in competition, awards:
- 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 DIRECTION:
SARAH FRIEDLAND for the film FAMILIAR TOUCH (USA) - SPECIAL JURY PRIZE ORIZZONTI:
HEMME NIN ÖLDÜĞÜ GÜNLERDEN BIRI (ONE OF THOSE DAYS WHEN HEMME DIES) by Murat Fıratoğlu (Turkey) - ORIZZONTI AWARD FOR BEST FEMALE PERFORMANCE:
KATHLEEN CHALFANT in the film FAMILIAR TOUCH by Sarah Friedland (United States) - ORIZZONTI AWARD FOR BEST MALE PERFORMANCE:
FRANCESCO GHEGHI in the film FAMILIA by Francesco Costabile (Italy) - ORIZZONTI AWARD FOR BEST SCREENPLAY:
SCANDAR COPTI 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 PRIZE FOR FIRST WORK «LUIGI DE LAURENTIIS»
The Jury of the Lion of the Future – Venice Award for a Debut Film «Luigi De Laurentiis» of the 81st Venice International Film Festival, chaired by Gianni Canova and composed of Ricky D’Ambrose, Taylor Russell, Bárbara Paz, Jacob Wong, awards the prize:
- LION OF THE FUTURE – VENICE PRIZE FOR FIRST WORK (LUIGI DE LAURENTIIS):
FAMILIAR TOUCH by Sarah Friedland (USA)
EXTRA HORIZONS
- SPECTATORS’ AWARD – ARMANI BEAUTY:
SHAHED (THE WITNESS) by Nader Saeivar (Germany, Austria)
VENICE CLASSICS
The Jury chaired by Renato De Maria and composed of 24 students – indicated by the teachers – of the cinema courses of the Italian universities, assigns:
- VENICE CLASSICS AWARD FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY ON CINEMA:
CHAIN REACTIONS by Alexandre O. Philippe (USA) - VENICE CLASSICS AWARD FOR BEST RESTORED FILM:
ECCE BOMBO by Nanni Moretti (Italy, 1978)
VENICE IMMERSIVE
The Jury chaired by Celine Daemen and composed of Marion Burger and Adriaan Lokman, after having viewed the 26 projects in competition, awards:
- GRAND PRIX VENICE IMMERSIVE:
ITO MEIKYŪ by BORIS LABBE’ (France, Luxembourg) - SPECIAL JURY PRIZE VENICE IMMERSIVE:
OTO’S PLANET by GWENAEL FRANÇOIS (Luxembourg, Canada, France) - AWARD FOR THE REALIZATION OF VENICE IMMERSIVE:
IMPULSE: PLAYING WITH REALITY by BARRY GENE MURPHY, MAY ABDALLA (UK, France)
GOLDEN LION FOR LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT 2024
- SIGOURNEY WEAVER
- PETER WEIR