La Biennale di Venezia
The 81st Venice International Film Festival
Official Awards
The 81st Venice International Film Festival is organised by La Biennale di Venezia and was held on the Lido di Venezia, directed by Alberto Barbera and presided by Pietrangelo Buttafuoco. The Festival aims to raise awareness and promote international cinema as art, entertainment, and industry, fostering freedom and dialogue. One section highlights classic film restorations, contributing to a deeper understanding of cinema history, especially for young audiences.
Golden Lion - Best Film
The Room Next Door - Pedro Aldomovar - Spain
President of the Jury - Isabelle Huppert - Director - Pedro Aldomovar
President - La Biennale di Venezia - Pietrangelo Buttafuocco
The Room Next Door - Pedro Aldomovar
Ingrid and Martha were close friends who worked together at a magazine. Ingrid became an autofiction novelist, while Martha became a war reporter. Life eventually separated them, but after years apart, they reunite in an unusual yet oddly sweet situation.
Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton
The #Venezia81 Jury, chaired by Isabelle Huppert and composed by James Gray, Andrew Haigh, Agnieszka Holland, Kleber Mendonça Filho, Abderrahmane Sissako, Giuseppe Tornatore, Julia von Heinz and Zhang Ziyi, viewed all the 21 films in competition.
The Jury, Isabelle Huppert and Pedro Aldomovar
The Room Next Door - Pedro Aldomovar
Julianne Moore, Pedro Aldomovar and Tilda Swinton
Silver Lion - Grand Jury Prize
Vermiglio - Maura Delpero - Italy - France - Belgium
Maura Delpero
In four seasons, nature completes its cycle: a girl becomes a woman, a belly swells with life, paths are lost, and seas are sailed toward unknown lands. In four seasons, one can die and be reborn. Vermiglio tells the story of a large family during the last year of World War II, and how the arrival of a refugee soldier disrupts their peace just as the world finds its own.
Vermiglio - Maura Delpero
Sara Serraiocco - actress
Silver Lion - Best Director
The Brutalist - Brady Corbet - United kingdom
The Brutalist chronicles the journey of Hungarian-born Jewish architect, László Tóth, who emigrates to the United States of America in 1947. Initially forced to toil in poverty, he soon wins a contract that will change the course of the next 30 years of his life.
The Brutalist - Brady Corbet
Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones
Red Carpet - The Brutalist
Adrien Brody
photo - Aleksander Kalka - ASAC - courtesy La Biennale di VeneziaRed Carpet - The Brutalist
Stacy Martin
Coppa Volpi - Best Actress
Nicole Kidman
Babygirl - Halina Reijn - United States
In Babygirl a high-powered CEO puts her career and family on the line when she begins a torrid affair with her much younger intern.
Babygirl - Halina Reijn
Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson
"We all carry hidden taboo fantasies we may never share. I'm fascinated by human duality, and this film explores the opposing forces within us, without judgment. To me, feminism means the freedom to explore a woman's vulnerability, love, shame, rage, and inner beast. As we age, we must confront our inner demons, as suppressing them can lead to destructive behavior. In Babygirl, Romy and Samuel's affair lets them explore power, gender, age, and primal instincts. Despite its forbidden nature, this exploration brings liberation and healing."
Halina Reijn
director's statement - Babygirl
photo Giorgio Zucchiatti - ASAC - courtesy La Biennale di Venezia
Red Carpet - Babygirl
Alberto Barbera, Antonio Banderas, Nicole Kimpel
Pietrangelo Buttafuocco
photo Giorgio Zucchiatti - ASAC - courtesy La Biennale di Venezia
Sophie Wilde
Coppa Volpi - Best Actor
Vincent Lindon Jouer avec Le Feu - The Quiet Son - Delphine Coulin and Muriel Coulin - France
Pierre, 50, raises his two sons alone. The three of them are very close. Louis, the youngest, is about to leave home to go to university in Paris. Fus, slightly older, is becoming secretive. Fascinated by violence, he becomes active in far-right extremist groups, at the very opposite of his father’s values. Between them, there is love and hate, until tragedy hits.
Jouer avec Le Feu - The Quiet Son - Delphine Coulin and Muriel Coulin
Benjamin Voisin and Stefan Crepon
photo Giorgio Zucchiatti - ASAC - courtesy La Biennale di Venezia
Red Carpet
Jouer avec Le Feu - The Quiet Son Directors, Delphine Coulin and Muriel Coulin
Murilo Hauser and Heitor Lorega - Ainda Estou Aqui - I'm Still Here
Walter Salles - Brazil - France
Brazil, 1971: a country in the tightening grip of a military dictatorship. A mother is forced to reinvent herself when her family’s life is shattered by an act of arbitrary violence.
Ainda Estou Aqui - I'm Still Here - Walter Salles
Special Jury Prize
April - Dea Kulumbegashvili - France - Italy - Georgia
After a newborn dies during delivery, the morals and professionalism of an ob-gyn, Nina, come under scrutiny amid rumors that she performs illegal abortions for those in need.
April - Dea Kulumbegashvili
Actress, la Sukhitashvili
"With April, I aimed to explore the intersection of existence and womanhood, focusing on themes of birth and death. The story centers on Nina, a doctor who endures suffering and channels it into her work, performing illegal abortions for those in need. She encounters women at their most vulnerable, from childbirth to secret abortions. Though filled with empathy, Nina struggles to connect personally and seeks nothing for herself, driven only by her mission. Ultimately, she realizes her limits in creating real change."
Dea Kulumbegashvili
Director's Statement
Red Carpet - April - Dea Kulumbegashvili
Actress, la Sukhitashvili
photo - A. Avezzu - ASAC - courtesy La Biennale di Venezia
Producer, Luca Guadagnino
Marcello Mastroianni Award - Best Young Actor or Actress
Paul Kircher
Leur Enfants Apres Eux - And Their Children After Them
Ludovic Boukherma and Zoran Boukherma - France
In August 1992, in a sweltering valley in Eastern France, 14-year-old Anthony spends the summer by a lake with his cousin, Steph, and Clem. It's the summer of his first love, marking the end of childhood. But when Hacine, a local rebel, steals Anthony's motorcycle, everything changes. Over four summers, the lives of Anthony, Steph, and Hacine intersect and collide, while love struggles to survive amidst the chaos.
Leur Enfants Apres Eux - Ludovic Boukherma and Zoran Boukherma
Paul Kircher and Angelina Woreth
#BiennaleCinema2024 - #Venice81 - International Film Festival
A Special Thank You to all at
La Biennale di Venezia
for making this such a special event
see you next year
ciao
Nally