9th Queer Lion Award Winners

A few minutes ago organizers announced the award winners and -as expected- The Danish Girl by Tom Hooper wins the Queer Lion.

For its straightforward and honest portrayal of gender issues within a marriage, presented in a handsome production that will bring its important message to a wide audience, the 2015 Queer Lion goes to Tom Hooper for THE DANISH GIRL.

They also decided to award, exceptionally, a Special Mention to Baby Bump by Kuba Czekaj: For dealing with issues such as the struggles of a young teenager to accept and understand the changes in his body, and the complicated search for his sexual identity, through the free, innocent perspective of a child, supported by a style that recalls and pays tribute to the Polish and Czechoslovakian cinematic New Waves of the 60s.

Award winners are in *BLUE. To check winners at official site go here. So that's it for this year. Ciao.

Venezia72 Competition
Desde Allá (From Afar), Lorenzo Vigas, Venezuela and Mexico (G)
Marguerite, Xavier Giannoli, France, Czech Republic and Belgium
*The Danish Girl, Tom Hooper, UK and USA (T) Winner of the Queer Lion

Out of Competition
La Calle de la Amargura (Bleak Street), Arturo Ripstein, Mexico and Spain
Human, Yann Arthus-Bertrand, France (documentary)
In Jackson Heights, Frederick Wiseman, USA (documentary)
Janis, Amy Berg, USA
那日下午 Na Ri Xiawu (Afternoon), Tsai Ming-Liang, China and Taiwan
Spotlight, Thomas McCarthy, USA

Orizzonti
למה עזבתני Lama Azavtani (Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me?), Hadar Morag, Israel and France (G)

Giornate degli Autori (Venice Days)
Arianna, Carlo Lavagna, Italy

Venezia Classici
Helmut Berger, Actor, Andreas Horvath, Austria (documentary
The 1000 Eyes of Dr. Maddin, Yves Montmayeur, France (documentary)

Biennale College - Cinema
*Baby Bump, Kuba Czekaj, Poland Winner of a Special Mention

Jury
President: Alonso Duralde, USA
Programmer for L.A. Outfest, pre-screener for the Sundance Film Festival, former arts and entertainment editor at the Advocate, film reviews editor for TheWrap.
Daniel N. Casagrande, Italy
Founder of Queer Lion Award, journalist, member of the National Union of Italian Film Critics, teacher of History of Cinematographic Language.
Marco Busato, Italy
Founder member and General Delegate of cultural association CinemArte, translator, academic in Cinema history.



If you wish to visit the recently renovated award site go here and check current edition news plus info about past editions.  If you wish to read about the seven (7) new films go official site here.

This year’s cover image, Queer Lion’s personal tribute to gay cowboys in the 10th anniversary of the Golden Lion awarded to Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain, was ideated by photographer Marco Visca: “From Tom of Finland to Bob Mizer, from Andy Warhol to Gus Van Sant, there is a very long list of artists who used this proudly masculine icon to literally gun down clichés, conventions and stereotypes of the American culture.” The cover model is Giorgio Ronchini, known for his participation to the tenth edition of Italian’s Big Brother.

On the wonderful lakeshore of Santa Croce (Belluno), Giorgio Ronchini models for the cover of Queer Lion 2015. A small appetizer from the set. Caution: Very Gay ... nothing Lesbian! LOL!!!



This year’s teaser, realized by the young filmmaker Fabio Carpene, wants to be a tribute from Queer Lion to the history of Venetian film industry and to the CineVillaggio that, thanks to Scalera Film studios, was built in the fall of 1943 on the Venetian island of Giudecca. The short film has been shot in low-resolution black and white to revive the language of early cinema.



---///---
9/8/15
As in the previous editions, the jury of Queer Lion Award 2015, upon seeing them, will add further movies with LGBT contents to the ones already announced in competition.

Today organizers announced seven new titles added to the competition and they are below identified with the Purple color.

---///---
8/25/15
Today organizers released the films in competition and there are seven (7) films that will be considered for the 2015 Queer Lion.

Besides the seven films in competition, worth mentioning are, furthermore, two documentaries of queer interest presented in the Venezia Classici sidebar: The 1000 Eyes of Dr. Maddin directed by Yves Montmayeur, and Helmut Berger, Actor helmed by Andreas Horvath; and in the same sidebar, we must as well remember the 40th anniversary restoration, courtesy of the Cineteca di Bologna, of Pier Paolo Pasolini’s controversial masterpiece Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma.

---///---
8/23/15
The 9th Queer Lion Award will take place from September 2nd to September 12th, 2015, during the 72. Venice International Film Festival; competing for the award, as usual, will be all the movies with LGBTQ themes or queer interest, selected within the various sidebars: Venezia 72. In Competition, Out of Competition, Orizzonti, Venice Days and International Film Critics’ Week.

This year organizers have been cautious and haven't announced films in competition before being more sure of what movies are about; so earlier, in July, announced that films will be unveiled starting from Thursday, September 1st, and following, day after day.

Still a couple of days ago the jury was announced and surprise (!!) we not only know the three jurors but we also learned that there are seven (7) films in consideration. Then as the Queer Cannes jury this year was very-unusually all-female, the Queer Lion jury is very-traditional all-male, sigh.

Up-to-today no official list of titles in consideration has been announced but will start the list from what I have learned doing the Venezia72 Check series.

Up to this moment have discovered 2 films that could be considered for the award as have some gay (G) or transgender (T) interest. Just from main competition there could be one more film, as Oliver Hermanus second feature film was amazing Beauty, so perhaps his third has some LGBTQ interest.