Roma takes Venice Golden Lion

Jury Prize goes to The Favourite

by Jennie Kermode

Golden Lion winner Roma
Golden Lion winner Roma

Alfonso Cuaron's Roma has won the Golden Lion at this year's Venice Film Festival.

The film is partially based on Cuaron's own childhood. The director, who received his prize from jury president and last year's Golden Lion winner Guillermo Del Toro, described both award and festival as "Incredibly meaningful to me."

Li Cheng, centre, with his stars Enrique Salanic and Manolo Errera
Li Cheng, centre, with his stars Enrique Salanic and Manolo Errera Photo: YQ Studio LLC
Yorgos Lanthimos took home the Grand Jury Prize for his historic romp The Favourite, which also saw British star Olivia Colman named best actress. The Silver Lion for best director went to Jacques Audiard for his western The Sisters Brothers. Willem Dafoe picked up the Best Actor gong.

In the Horizons sidebar, the top prize was taken by Manta Ray - which is one of several films available to watch this year on Festival Scope's Sala Web, including The Announcement and, in some territories, The Day I Lost My Shadow, along with The Man Who Surprised everyone, which saw Natalya Kudryashova pick up the Horizons award for Best Actress.

The Queer Lion was awarded to Guatemalan film José, directed by Li Cheng. The director said: “I want to thank everyone who believes in the project - especially interviewees across Latin America who inspired the story, the all-Guatemalan cast and crew, and the two male lead actors for their courage: we live in difficult and exasperating times and young people have a different vision for the future and they are leading the way to better things”

Read our round-up including reviews of Roma, The Favourite and The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs here.

Read our round-up including a review of The Sisters Brothers here.

Those awards in full:

  • Golden Lion - Roma
  • Grand Jury Prize - The Favourite
  • Silver Lion, Best Director - Jacques Audiard, The Sisters Brothers
  • Volpi Cup, Best Actress - Olivia Colman, The Favourite
  • Volpi Cup, Best Actor - Willem Dafoe, At Eternity’s Gate
  • Best Screenplay - Joel and Ethan Coen, The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs
  • Special Jury Prize - The Nightingale, dir: Jennifer Kent
  • Marcello Mastroianni Award for for Best New Young Actor or Actress - Baykali Ganambarr, The Nightingale

Horizons

  • Best Film - Manta Ray, dir: Phuttiphong Aroonpheng
  • Best Director - Emir Baigazin, Ozen (The River)
  • Special Jury Prize - Anons (The Announcement)
  • Best Actress - Natalya Kudryashova, The Man Who Surprised Everyone
  • Best Actor - Kais Nasif, Tel Aviv On Fire
  • Best Screenplay - Pema Tseden, Jinpa
  • Best Short Film - Kado, dir: Aditya Ahmad
  • Lion of the Future – “Luigi De Laurentiis” Venice Award for a Debut Film - The Day I Lost My Shadow

Venice Virtual Reality

  • Best VR - Spheres: Chorus Of The Cosmos
  • Best VR Experience - Buddy VR
  • Best VR Story - L’Ile Des Morts,

Venice Classics

  • Best Documentary on Cinema - The Great Buster: A Celebration, dir: Peter Bogdanovich
  • Best Restoration - La Notte Di San Lorenzo

Additional Prizes

  • Queer Lion - Li Cheng, José
  • FIPRESCI Awards - Sunset, László Nemes and Still Recording, Lissa Ammetsajjel
  • Lion of the Future Luigi De Laurentiis Award for a Debut Film - The Day I Lost My Shadow, Soudade Kaadan

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