Refresh for latest…: The 81st Venice Film Festival is drawing to a close this evening with awards about to be handed out inside the Lido’s Sala Grande. Jury president Isabelle Huppert and her panel will bestow the Golden Lion along with the other main prizes over the next hour or so. Scroll down to see the list of laureates as we update live.
The last 12 days at the world’s oldest film festival have been beyond glamorous — in stark contrast to last year’s edition which unspooled under the cloud of the SAG-AFTRA strike, preventing many stars from coming out in support of their movies. Not so this time around as famous faces came ashore by the boatload. They included Michael Keaton, Jenna Ortega, Cate Blanchett, Angelina Jolie, Nicole Kidman, Adrien Brody, Jude Law, Nicholas Hoult, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Daniel Craig, Julianne Moore, Tilda Swinton, Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga.
Not all of them had films in the competition which was rife with strong titles and performances. Receiving particularly strong notices were Luca Guadagnino’s Queer starring Craig; Pablo Larrain’s Maria Callas biopic Maria with a buzzy lead turn from Jolie; Pedro Almodovar’s The Room Next Door led by Moore and Swinton (and earning a mega 18-minute ovation following its premiere); and Halina Rejin’s Babygirl featuring a committed performance by Kidman.
Other titles that got folks excited include Brady Corbet’s third feature here in Venice, The Brutalist, starring Brody, Walter Salles’ I’m Still Here and Dea Kulumbegashvili’s April.
It was five years ago this weekend that Todd Phillips’ Joker sashayed away with the Golden Lion; this year he returned with sequel Joker: Folie à Deux which didn’t appear to overwhelm audiences in the same manner, though Phoenix was roundly praised again for his take on Arthur Fleck.
We’ll know which way the jury has voted in just a little bit, so check back below.
Awards Updating Live:
Golden Lion
Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize
Silver Lion Best Director
Special Jury Prize
Best Screenplay
Best Actress
Best Actor
Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best New Young Actor or Actress
HORIZONS
Best Film
Best Director
More to come…
