The 73rd Venice Film Festival came to close on Saturday but not before handing out its annual prizes for its competition films. Oscar winning director Sam Mendes (Skyfall) served as president of the jury this year for what appeared to a strong year for American (and potentially) awards friendly titles. Damien Chazelle’s swooned over new musical La La Land opened Venice this year was one the major highlights, as were Tom Ford’s Nocturnal Animals, Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival and Pablo Larraín’ Jackie.
Emma Stone won the Best Actress prize for her acclaimed performance in La La Land, potentially boosted her and the films chances for greater success as the awards season gets into high gear. In Chazelle’s film, Stone portrays an aspiring actress who falls for jazz singer (played by Ryan Gosling) in Los Angeles. Ford was also acknowledged by the Venice jury, picking up the Grand Jury Prize for Nocturnal Animals, his upcoming film featuring an all-star cast led by Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal. Jackie, a chronicle of the aftermath of the JFK assassination as seen through the eyes of Jackie Kennedy (played by Natalie Portman) picked up a prize for its screenplay; Noah Oppenheim’s script was previously put on the Black List.
In the end, it was The Woman Who Left, a nearly four-hour film from The Philippines, that won the top prize for the Venice jury. The Woman Who Left, from director Lav Diaz, tells the story of a woman who is wrongly convicted of a crime. After spending thirty years in prison, she re-enters society after learning her friend framed her. The film is based on Leo Tolstoy’s short story God Sees the Truth, But Waits.
Check out the full list of Venice prize winners below:
- GOLDEN LION: The Woman Who Left – Lav Diaz
- SILVER LION, BEST DIRECTOR (tie): Amat Escalante, Le Region Salvaje; Andrei Konchalovsky, Paradise
- GRAND JURY PRIZE: Nocturnal Animals – Tom Ford
- VOLPI CUP, BEST ACTRESS: Emma Stone, La La Land
- VOLPI CUP, BEST ACTOR: Oscar Martinez, El Ciudadano Ilustre
- BEST SCREENPLAY: Jackie – Noah Oppenheim
- SPECIAL JURY PRIZE: The Bad Batch – Ana Lily Amirpour
- MARCELLO MASTROIANNI AWARD FOR BEST NEW/YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS: Paula Beer, Frantz
VENICE HORIZONS
- BEST FILM: Liberami – Federica Di Giacomo
- BEST DIRECTOR: Fien Troch, Home
- SPECIAL JURY PRIZE: Big Big World – Reha Erdem
- BEST ACTRESS: Ruth Diaz, The Fury of a Patient Man
- BEST ACTOR: Nuno Lopes, Sao Jorge
- BEST SCREENPLAY: Bitter Money – Wang Bing
- BEST SHORT FILM: La Voz Perdida – Marcelo Martinessi
- BEST DEBUT FILM: Break-Up – The Man with the Balloons – Marco Ferreri
- BEST DOCUMENTARY: Le Concours – Claire Simon
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