The 81st edition of the Venice Film Festival has come to a close, and after 11 vibrant and humid days, this year's Competition jury led by Isabelle Huppert has awarded the coveted Best Film Golden Lion to Pedro Almodóvar and his film The Room Next Door.
The film succeeds last year's Yorgos Lanthimos' Poor Things, and was a favourite amongst the 21 films in Competition this year on the Lido.
Scroll down for the full list of winners.
The Room Next Door is the celebrated Spanish director's 23rd film but his first full-length project in English. Based on Sigrid Nunez's novel “What Are You Going Through”, it follows two friends (Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton) who rekindle their friendship. It turns out that one of them has been diagnosed with terminal cervical cancer. After reconnecting with her friend, she asks for a favour… And a big one at that: to be in the titular next room when she takes a euthanasia pill and ends her life with dignity. Read our full review here.
Almodóvar dedicated the Golden Lion to his two stars and stated that the prize belonged to them. He previously called for greater access to euthanasia worldwide, and stated during the press conference: “We have a law in Spain on euthanasia. It should be possible to have all over the world. It should be regulated and the doctor should be allowed to help his patient.”
“This movie is in favour of euthanasia,” continued the director, and adding while accepting his prize that the film isn't political but humanist.
As of 2024, euthanasia is legal in only four countries in Europe: Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Spain – with the law in Portugal yet in force and awaiting regulation.
The Room Next Door is Almodóvar's follow-up to 2021's Parallel Mothers, which also premiered at the Venice Film Festival and won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress for Penélope Cruz. The director previously received the festival's lifetime achievement award in 2019.
Considering Venice has a proven track record for premiering future Oscar contenders (since 2014, they've hosted four best picture winners – Birdman, Spotlight, The Shape of Water and Nomadland – and 19 nominees), you can expect The Room Next Door to be an early frontrunner for next year's Oscars – alongside several other winners, including The Brutalist.
The runner-up prize went to Italian film Vermiglio, while the Special Jury Prize went to Dea Kulumbegashvili's April, one of the most unique films to premiere in Competition this year. It follows Nina, an ob-gyn whose morals and professionalism comes under scrutiny amid rumours that she performs illegal abortions for those in need. Read our full review here.
“With April, my goal was to explore and analyse the dichotomy and convergence between existence and womanhood,” stated the Georgian filmmaker in her director's notes. “This naturally led me to the themes of birth and death.”
The Best Director Prize went to Brady Corbet for The Brutalist, his three-and-a-half hour-long American saga starring Adrian Brody and Felicity Jones. The film is a biopic on an imaginary Hungarian architect and Holocaust survivor, László Tóth, who emigrates to the US, and it was widely considered the critics' favourite this year. Many had tipped the film for the top prize. Read our full review here.
“Brevity has never been my strong suit,” he shared before thanking his cast, producers, and all those who contributed to making The Brutalist. He thanked the jury for not taking the feature's length against the film.
On the acting front, Vincent Lindon won the Volpi Cup for his performance in the French film Jouer Avec Le Feu (The Quiet Son), about a father dealing with his son's descent into far-right extremist thought.
Many were thinking that Daniel Craig would win for his role in Luca Guadagnino's Queer (read our full review here) – however, Lindon's quietly powerful turn won over the jury's attention. The French actor gave an emotional and very touching acceptance speech, during which he singled out Isabelle Huppert and interrupted his speech to greet every one of the jury members to thank them and express his gratitude.
Several films on the Lido dealt with extremism and the rise of the far right; The Quiet Son is a solid drama that offers no easy solutions and goes beyond the main theme to become a film about fatherhood and family.
Nicole Kidman won Best Actress for Babygirl, the sex-positive BDSM drama which reveals itself to be about communication in relationships. The actress called the erotic thriller “freeing”. Read our full review here.
Sadly, Kidman could not be there in person, as her mother Janelle Ann Kidman died and she had to be with her family at this difficult time. Director Halina Reijn accepted the prize on her behalf and read Kidman's statement: “I'm in shock and I have to go to my family, but this award is for her… I am beyond grateful that I get to say her name to all of you. The collision of life and art is heartbreaking and my heart is broken.”
Full list of winners:
MAIN COMPETITION
- Golden Lion – Best Film: The Room Next Door (Pedro Almodóvar)
- Grand Jury Prize: Vermiglio (Maura Delpero)
- Silver Lion – Best Director: Brady Corbet (The Brutalist)
- Special Jury Prize: April (Dea Kulumbegashvili)
- Best Screenplay: Murilo Hauser, Heitor Lorega (I'm Still Here)
- Volpi Cup for Best Actress: Nicole Kidman (Babygirl)
- Volpi Cup for Best Actor: Vincent Lindon (The Quiet Son)
- Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best New Talent: Paul Kircher (And their Children After Them)
HORIZONS
- Best Film: The New Year That Never Came (Bogdan Mureşanu)
- Best Director: Sarah Friedland (Familiar Touch)
- Special Jury Prize: One of Those Days When Hemme Dies (Murat Firatoglu)
- Best Actress: Kathleen Chalfant (Familiar Touch)
- Best Actor: Francesco Gheghi (Familia)
- Best Screenplay: Scandar Copti (Happy Holidays)
- Best Short Film: Who Loves the Sun (Arshia Shakiba)
LION OF THE FUTURE Luigi de Laurentis Award for Best Debut Feature: Familiar Touch (Sarah Friedland)
HORIZONS EXTRA Audience Award: The Witness (Nader Saeivar)
VENICE CLASSICS
- Best Documentary on Cinema: Chain Reactions (Alexandre O. Philippe)
- Best Restored Film: Ecce Bombo (Nanni Moretti)
VENICE IMMERSIVE
- Grand Jury Prize: Ito Meikyu (Boris Labbé)
- Special Jury Prize: Oto's Planet (Gwenael François)
- Achievement Prize: Impulse: Playing With Reality (Barry Gene Murphy, May Abdalla)
GIORNATE DEGLI AUTORI
- GdA Director's Award: Manas (Marianna Brennand)
- Audience Award: Taxi Monamour (Ciro De Caro)
- Europa Cinemas Label Award: Alpha (Jan-Willem van Ewijk)
CRITICS' WEEK
- Grand Prize: Don't Cry, Butterfly (Dương Diệu Linh)
- Special Mention: No Sleep Till (Alexandra Simpson)
- Audience Award: Paul & Paulette Take a Bath (Jethro Massey)
- Verona Film Club Award for Most Innovative Film: Don't Cry, Butterfly (Dương Diệu Linh)
- Mario Serandrei – Hotel Saturnia Award for Best Technical Contribution: Homegrown (Michael Premo)
- Best Short Film: Things That My Best Friend Lost (Marta Innocenti)
- Best Director (Short Film): Nero Argento (Francesco Manzato)
- Best Technical Contribution (Short Film): At Least I Will Be 8 294 400 Pixel (Marco Talarico)
The Venice Film Festival took place from 28 August – 7 September.
Click here for our full daily coverage of this year's 81st edition and stay tuned to Euronews Culture for our complete debrief of the festival: the highs, the lows, the talking points and what to look out for on the big and smaller screens in the coming months.
