Joker has last laugh in Venice

Philips takes Silver Lion and Polanski wins Grand Jury Prize

by Amber Wilkinson

Joker won over audiences in Venice
Joker won over audiences in Venice Photo: Courtesy of NYFF
Todd Phillips' Joker, starring Joaquin Phoenix, has won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.

The film about the Batman villain, which has inspired a slew of debate online since its premiere, will be released in the UK on October.

Roman Polanski's An Officer And A Spy - which had already sparked controversy by being included due to the director's US fugitive status after his conviction for statutory rape in 1978 - won the Grand Jury Prize.

Polanski's wife Emmanuelle Seigner, who stars in his dramatisation of the Dreyfus affair political scandal - which also won the FIPRESCI award - collected the award on his behalf.

The Silver Lion went to Roy Andersson for About Endlessness, while writer/director Yonfan won the best screenplay for his Hong Kong animation No. 7 Cherry Lane.

The acting awards in the main competition went to Ariane Ascaride for Robert Guédiguian’s Gloria Mundi and Luca Marinelli for Martin Eden, directed by Pietro Marcello. Actor Toby Wallace picked up the best new talent award for Baby Teeth.

The full awards list

  • Golden Lion for Best Film Joker, dir Todd Phillips
  • Silver Lion – Grand Jury Prize An Officer And A Spy, dir Roman Polanski
  • Silver Lion – Best Director Roy Andersson, About Endlessness
  • Coppa Volpi for Best Actress Ariane Ascaride, Gloria Mundi
  • Coppa Volpi for Best Actor Luca Marinelli, Martin Eden
  • Best Screenplay Award Yonfan, No. 7 Cherry Lane
  • Special Jury Prize The Mafia Is No Longer What It Used to Be, dir Franco Maresco
  • Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best New Talent Toby Wallace, Babyteeth
  • Lion of the Future (Luigi De Laurentiis Award for a debut film) You Will Die At 20, dir Amjad Abu Alala

Horizon Awards

  • Best Film Atlantis, dir Valentyn Vasyanovych
  • Best Director Théo Court, White On White
  • Special Jury Prize Verdict, dir. Raymund Ribay Gutierrez
  • Best Actress Marta Nieto, Madre
  • Best Actor Sami Bouajila, A Son
  • Best Screenplay Jessica Palud, Philippe Lioret, Diastème, Revinir
  • Best Short Darling, dir Saim Sadiq

Venice VR Awards

  • Best VR Film The Key, dir Celine Tricart
  • Best VR Experience Award A Linha, dir Ricardo Laganaro

  • Best VR Story Award Daughters of Chibok, dir Joel Kachi Benson
  • Venice Classics Awards

    • Best Documentary on Cinema Babenco - Alguém tem que ouvir o coração e dizer: Parou, dir Barbára Paz
    • Best Restored Film Ecstasy, dir Gustav Machatý

    Read our report from Venice.

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