79th Venice Film Festival Award Winners

Know is not only my opinion but found festival to be low on good cinema and quite uneven in spectacle as started with a few days with big bang both in movies quality -which generated high press interest- to fade into a straight line with no highs nor lows. Somehow my opinion is confirmed with the awards as weren't as dispereced as in previous editions and tended to concentrate in a few films.

Most interesting for me is the amount of USA productions or co productions that won top awards which only confirms the tight festival relation with American cinema. Still -and I'm completely biased- I'm totally in agreement in honoring Cate Blanchett with her second Copa Volpi! No fan of Colin Farrell but will have to check film to find why he won over press and social media favorite Brendan Fraser.


Last but not least I'm truly glad female director continue to win awards in film festivals, especially when is in one of the three main festivals in the world. Female directors are highlighted below in BLUE and no doubt there are quite many -compared to previous years and other festivals. Great.
Let's hope next year selection becomes more interesting as no matter the effort and compromises, when selection is loosely sagging interest diminishes and for me means less films for my must-be-seen queue. Sigh.

The Award Winners

Official Selection

Competition

Golden Lion for Best Film: All The Beauty and The Bloodshed, Laura Poitras, USA (documentary)

Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize: Saint Omer, Alice Diop, France
Special Jury Prize: Khers Nist (No Bears), Jafar Panahi, Iran

Silver Lion for Best Director: Luca Guadagnino for Bones and All, USA and Italy

Copa Volpi for Best Actress: Cate Blanchett in Tár, Todd Field, USA
Copa Volpi for Best Actor: Colin Farrell in The Banshees of Inisherin, Martin McDonagh, Ireland, UK and USA
Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best New Young Actress or Actor: Taylor Russell in Bones and All, Luca Guadagnino, USA and Italy

Best Screenplay: Martin McDonagh for The Banshees of Inisherin, Martin McDonagh, Ireland, UK and USA

Lion of the Future - Luigi de Laurentiis Award for Best Debut Film: Saint Omer, Alice Diop, France

Orizzonti Awards
Best Film: Jang-e jahani sevom (World War III), Houman Seyedi, Iran
Special Jury Prize:
Best Director: Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel for Vera, Austria
Best Actress: Vera Gemma in Vera, Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel, Austria
Best Actor: Mohsen Tanabandeh in Jang-e jahani sevom (World War III), Houman Seyedi, Iran
Best Screenplay: Fernando Guzzoni for Blanquita, Fernando Guzzoni, Chile, Mexico, Luxembourg, France and Poland

Best Short Film: Snow in September, Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir, Mongolia and France, 20'
Short Film nominee for the European Film Awards: Snow in September, Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir, Mongolia and France, 20'

Orizzonti Extra Best Film Audience Award: Nezouh, Soudade Kaadan, UK, Syria and France

Venice Classics
Best Documentary on Cinema: Fragments of Paradise, KD Davison, Usa
Best Restored Film: Koroshi no Rakuin (Branded to Kill), Suzuki Seijun, Japan, 1967

Venice Immerisive
Best Experience:  The Man Who Couldn't Leave, Singing Chen, Taipei
Grand Jury Prize: From the Main Square, Pedro Harres, Germany
Special Jury Prize: Eggscape, German Heller, Argentina

Autonomous Sections

18th Giornate degli Autori
Director's Award: Lobo e Cão (Wolf and Dog), Cláudia Varejão, Portugal
Label Europa Cinemas: Dirty Difficult Dangerous, Wissam Charaf, France, Italy and Lebanon
Cinema of the Future Award: Graham Foy for The Maiden, Graham Foy, Canada
People's Choice Award: Blue Jean, Georgia Oakley, UK

37. Settimana Internazionalle della Critica (Venice International Film Critics' Week)
Grand Prize: Eismayer, David Wagner, Austria
Jury Special Mention: Anhell69, Theo Montoya, Romania, France and Colombia (documentary)
Verona Film Club Award: Anhell69, Theo Montoya, Romania, France and Colombia (documentary)
Mario Serandrei Award: Anhell69, Theo Montoya, Romania, France and Colombia (documentary)
The Film Club Audience Award: Margini, Niccolò Falsetti, Italy

Short Films Awards
Best Short Film: Puiet (Sapling), Lorenzo Fabbro and Bronte Stahl, Italy, USA and Romania
Award for Best Director: Albertine Where Are You?, Maria Guidone, Italy
Award for Best Technical Contribution: Reginetta, Federico Russotto, Italy

If you wish to check Official Awards at festival site go here.

Collateral Awards

FIPRESCI Awards
Best Film of Venezia79: Argentina, 1985, Santiago Mitre, Argentina and USA
Best Film in Orizzonti: Autobiography, Makbul Mubarak, Indonesia, France, Germany, Poland, Singapore, Philippines and Qatar

SIGNIS Award: Chiara, Susanna Nicchiarelli, Italy and Belgium
Special Mention:  Argentina, 1985, Santiago Mitre, Argentina and USA

ArcaCinema Giovani Award
Best Film Venezia79: Athena, Romain Gavras, France
Best Italian Film: Monica, Andrea Pallaoro, USA and Italy

Authors under 40 Award
Best Director: (tie)
Isabella Carbonell for Dogborn, Sweden
Cristina Groșan for Běžná selhání (Ordinary Failures), Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy and Slovakia
Special Mentions:
El Akhira. La dernière reine (The Last Queen), Adila Bendimerad, Damien Ounouri, Algeria, France, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Taiwan
Da li ste videli ovu ženu? (Have You Seen This Woman?), Dušan Zorić and Matija Gluščević, Croatia and Serbia
Blue Jean, Georgia Oakley, UK

Fanheart3 Awards
Grafetta d'Oro: Don't Worry, Darling, Olivia Wilde, USA
Nave d'Argento: Eismayer, David Wagner, Austria
VF Fan Experience: Lustration, Ryan Griffen, Australia and USA
Special Mention: Fight Back, Celine Tricart, France and USA

FEDIC Award: Gli Ultimi Giorni dell'Umanità (The Last Days of Humanity), Enrico Ghezzi and Alessandro Gagliardo, Italy
Special Mentions:
Ti Mangio il Coure, Pippo Mezzapesa, Italy
Albertine Where Are You?, Maria Guidone, Italy, 20'

Fondazione Fai Persona Lavoro Ambiente Award: La Syndicaliste (The Sitting Duck), Jean-Paul Salomé, France and Germany
Special Mention Work: (tie)
Princess, Roberto De Paolis, Italy
Tant que le soleil frappe (Beating Sun), Philippe Petit, France
Special Mention Enviroment: Janain Mualaqa (Hanging Gardens), Ahmed Yassin Al Daradji, Iraq, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and UK

Fondazione Mimmo Rotella Award: Nuclear, Oliver Stone, USA
Fondazione Smithers Ambassador of Hope Award: All The Beauty and The Bloodshed, Laura Poitras, USA (documentary)

Francesco Pasinetti Awards - SNGGI
Best Film:  Siccità (Drought), Paolo Virzì, Italy
Best Actress: All female Actors in Siccità (Drought), Paolo Virzì, Italy
Best Actor: All male Actors in Siccità (Drought), Paolo Virzì, Italy

CinemaSarà Award: The Whale, Darren Aronofsky, USA
Special Mention: Khers Nist (No Bears), Jafar Panahi, Iran

Cinema and Arts Golden Musa Award: (tie)
Saint Omer, Alice Diop, France
Music for Black Pigeons, Jørgen Leth and Andreas Koefoed, Denmark

Green Drop Award: White Noise, Noah Baumbach, USA
Special Mention: Siccità (Drought), Paolo Virzì, Italy

NuovoImaie Talent Award
Best Newcomer Actress: Margherita Mazzuco
Best Newcomer Actor:  Leonardo Maltese

Sorriso Diverso Award
Best Italian Film: Chiara, Susanna Nicchiarelli, Italy and Belgium
Best Foreign Film: The Whale, Darren Aronofsky, USA

Soundtrack Stars Award
Lifetime Achievement Award: Stefano Bollani
Best Soundtrack in Venezia79:  Siccità (Drought), Paolo Virzì, Italy
Special Mention: Sergio Leone - L’italiano che inventò l’America, Francesco Zippel, Italy

Lizzani Award: Chiara, Susanna Nicchiarelli, Italy and Belgium
Special Mention: A Guerra Finita, Simone Massi, Italy, 4' (animation)

Brian Award: Il Signore delle formiche (Lord of the Ants), Gianni Amelio, Italy
Casa Wabi - Mantarraya Award: Saint Omer, Alice Diop, France
Cinema for UNICEF: Athena, Romain Gavras, France
Edipo Re Award: Saint Omer, Alice Diop, France
Enrico Fulghignoni-CICT-UNESCO Award: Nuclear, Oliver Stone, USA
FRED Award: Céline Sciamma, Tessa Thompson and Alessandro Borghi
Interfilm Award: The Whale, Darren Aronofsky, USA
Lanterna Magica Award: Nezouh, Soudade Kaadan, UK, Syria and France
Leoncino d'Oro Agiscuola Award: The Whale, Darren Aronofsky, USA
Queer Lion Award: Aus meiner haut (Skin Deep), Alex Schaad, Germany
Sfera 1932 Award:
UNIMED Award: Bardo, Falsa Crónica de Unas Cuantas Verdades (Bardo False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths), Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Mexico

La Pellicola d'Oro Award
Best Production Director: Barbara Busso for Il Signore delle formiche (Lord of the Ants), Gianni Amelio, Italy
Best Camera Opeator: Cesare Pascarella for Il Signore delle formiche (Lord of the Ants), Gianni Amelio, Italy
Best Costume Dressmaker: Laura Montaldi for Chiara, Susanna Nicchiarelli, Italy and Belgium

BNL Gruppo BNP Paribas People's Choice Award:  The Maiden, Graham Foy, Canada

RB Casting Award: Leonardo Maltese for Il Signore delle formiche (Lord of the Ants), Gianni Amelio, Italy
Starlight International Cinema Award: Mirko Alivemini

New Generation Awards
Best Female Newcomer: Carolina Sala
Best Male Newcomer: Nicolas Maupas

Final Cut In Venice (post production awards)
Inshallah Wallad (Inshallah a Boy), Amjad Al Rasheed, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar
Lumière Noire (Black Light), Karim Bensalah, France, Algeria and Qatar
Au cimetière de la pellicule (The Cementery of Cinema), Thierno Souleymane Diallo, France, Senegal and Guinea
Suspended, Myriam El Hajj, Libano, France and Qatar
To read what each film received check official site here.

Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement: Catherine Deneuve
Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement: Paul Schrader
Cartier Glory to the Filmmaker Award: Walter Hill
Premio Robert Bresson: Hirokazu Kore'eda
Campari Passion for Film Award: Arianne Phillips
Premio Bianchi: Stefania Sandrelli
Women in Cinema Award: Anna Fendi
Leone di Merletto di Burano: Julianne Moore

To check Autonomous and Collateral Award winners go official site here.