40th Venice International Film Critics' Week Award Winners

It is over and section was closed with the following words from Beatrice Fiorentino, the Artistic Director of la Settimana Internazionale della Critica.

"Forty editions on, we continue believing in cinema that makes bold choices, that takes risks, that speaks to the present with its own voice. This edition has brought to life vivid images, bodies that resist, dreams that claim a space for themselves. And a curious, young, attentive audience has understood the message. The future is not written, but it can be filmed".

To check winners at official site go here.

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July 22, 2025
This morning had a huge surprise when found the complete line up and all press materials for the 2025 edition of la Settimana, so will do post while waiting for the #Venice82 press conference.

In 2025, the Settimana Internazionale della Critica celebrates a double anniversary. Forty years of this wonderful institution, first conceived in 1984 by the Director of the Venice International Film Festival Gian Luigi Rondi and enthusiastically brought to life by the President of the Sindacato Nazionale dei Critici Cinematografici Italiani (SNCCI) Lino Miccichè and film critic Giorgio Tinazzi, who became its first General Delegate.

In 2025, we also celebrate ten years of SIC@SIC, the section born from the brilliant intuition of Carla Cattani (Cinecittà) and immediately embraced by film critics, intended to be an incubator for Italian short feature filmmakers.

The films that make up the current edition 9+9 titles, selected amdist the nearly 700 feature films that were submitted from all over the world, and the nearly 300 Italian shorts applications is the culminating work of a new selection committee appointed by the Sindacato Nazionale Critici Cinematrofici Italiani (SNCCI, Matteo Berardini, Marianna Cappi, Francesco Grieco, and Marco Romagna. They worked along with Beatrice Florentino, Artistic Director, to design a selection of films that cross borders of identity, geographical frontiers, existencial boundaries and undoubtedly draw and amplify the tensions of our times.

As we know, the settimana is an independent and parallel section of La Mostra and is organized by the Union of Italian Film Critics; this year will run from August 27 to September 2025.

The Selection

Feature Films

Competition
Agon, Giulio Bertelli, Italy, USA, and France WINNER OF LUCIANO SOVENA AWARD FOR BEST INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION
ملكة القطن Cotton Queen, Suzannah Mirghani, Germany, France, Palestine, Egypt, Qatar, Sudan and Saudi Arabia
Gorgonà, Evi Kalogiropoulou, Greece and France
Ish, Imran Perretta, UK WINNER OF AUDIENCE AWARD
Ore di veglia (Waking Hours), Federico Cammarata and Filippo Foscarini, Italy WINNER OF PREMIO MARIO SERANDREI FOR BEST TECHNICAL CONTRIBUTION
رقية Roqia, Yanis Koussim, Algeria, France, Qatar and Saudi Arabia
Straight Circle, Oscar Hudson, UK and South Africa  WINNER OF THE GRAND PRIZE and THE VERONA FILM CLUB AWARD  

Special Events
Opening Film: Les Immortelles (Stereo Girls), Caroline Deruas Peano, France and Canada
Closing Film: 100 Nights of Hero, Julia Jackman, UK

SIC@SIC Italian Short Cinema

Competition
Arca, Lorenzo Quagliozzi, Italy 20'
Festa in famiglia (Family Feast), Nadir Taji, Italy 19' WINNER OF BEST DIRECTOR AWARD
Marina, Paoli De Luca, Italy 19' WINNER OF BEST SHORT FILM AWARD and BEST TECHNICAL CONTRIBUTION AWARD
La Moto (The Motorcycle), Matteo Giampetruzzi, Italy, Denmark and Spain 20'
El pütì pèrs (The Lost Child), Paolo Baiguera, Italy 13' SPECIAL MENTION BEST DIRECTOR 
The Pørnøgrapher, HARIEL, Italy (AI) 11' WINNER OF CENTRO NAZIONALE DEL CORTOMETRAGGIO AWARD
Sante (Saints), Valeria Gaudieri, Italy 19'

Special Events
Opening Short Film: Restare (Remains), Fabio Bobbio, Italy 20'
Closing Short Film: Confini, Canti, Simone Massi, Italy 10' (animation)

Some worth mentioning facts: the 7 feature films are eligible for the Grand Prize Settimana Internazionale della Critica, the Settimana Audience Award and the Luciano Sovena Award; also eligible for the Mario Serandrei Award for Best Technical Contribution, the Verona Film Club Award and the Lion of the Future presented at La Mostra.

The following is the video that introducing the 40th Settimana Internazionale della Crtica and the 10th anniversary of SIC@SIC.