The 78th annual Venice Film Festival recently concluded with one of the most exciting awards ceremonies in the festival’s history. Whether you wanted to see an entertainment industry satire or a medieval drama, the chances that Venice screened the film for you were high. In both the main competition and the Horizons Sidebar sections, jury president Bong Joon-ho selected the best of an already stacked lineup of films.
Perhaps most surprising is how female directors were awarded the highest honors, with the prestigious Golden Lion going to French-Lebanese director Audrey Diwan’s Happening. The film, based on the 2000 novel by Annie Ernaux, centers around the young Anne (Anamaria Vartolomei) who finds herself seeking an abortion.
Best Director also went to Jane Campion for her work on Netflix’s upcoming The Power of the Dog. Maggie Gyllenhaal also won Best Screenplay for her directorial debut The Lost Daughter. Other notable wins include Paolo Sorrentino’s The Hand of God winning the Grand Jury Prize, John Arcilla winning Best Actor for On The Job: The Missing 8, and Penelope Cruz winning Best Actress for Parallel Mothers.
Do you want to see what other films and programs won big? Check the full list of Venice Film Festival winners below.
Golden Lion for Best Film
Happening, dir. Audrey Diwan
Grand Jury Prize
The Hand of God, dir. Paolo Sorrentino
Best Director
Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog
Best Actor
John Arcilla, On The Job: The Missing 8
Best Actress
Penelope Cruz, Parallel Mothers
Best Screenplay
Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Lost Daughter
Best Young Actor
Filippo Scotti, The Hand of God
Special Jury Prize
Il Buco, dir. Michelangelo Frammartino
Lion of the Future for Best Debut Film
Imaculat, dirs. Monica Stan and George Chiper-Lillemark
Horizons Sidebar
Best Film
Pilgrims, dir. Laurynas Bareisa
Best Director
Eric Gravel, Full Time
Special Jury Prize
The Great Movement dir. Kiro Russo
Best Actor
Piseth Chhun, White Building
Best Actress
Laure Calamy, Full Time
Best Screenplay
Peter Kerekes and Ivan Ostrochovsky, 107 Mothers
Best Short Film
Los huesos, dirs. Cristobal Leon, Joaquin Cocina
Audience Award Presented By Armani Beauty
The Blind Man Who Didn’t Want to See Titanic, dir. Teemu Nikki
Venice VR Expanded
Best VR Story
End of Night, dir. David Adler
Best VR Experience
Le bal de Paris, dir. Blanca Lee
Best VR Work
Goliath Playing with Reality, dirs. Barry Gene Murphy, May Abdalla