The awards ceremony of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival took place on Saturday, September 6, marking the end of an edition that closed with positive numbers: 103,033 tickets sold (+9% compared to 2024) and 13,934 accreditations issued (+9% compared to 2024). A positive trend was also recorded for Venice Immersive—the section dedicated to immersive media and Extended Reality—which registered 13,978 bookings (+16%), as well as for the Masterclasses (1,700 accredited participants) and the Venice Production Bridge, the networking platform for industry professionals, which counted 3,385 accredited participants (+8%).
Now, on to the winners. Italian cinema celebrated two major victories this year: the Volpi Cup for Best Actor was awarded to Toni Servillo for La grazia by Paolo Sorrentino, and the Special Jury Prize went to Gianfranco Rosi for his documentary Sotto le nuvole.
The Golden Lion for Best Film was awarded to Father Mother Sister Brother by American director Jim Jarmusch, while the Grand Jury Prize went to The Voice of Hind Rajab, a film by Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania. The Silver Lion for Best Director was awarded to Benny Safdie for The Smashing Machine, and the Volpi Cup for Best Actress went to Xin Zhilei for The Sun Rises on Us All. Valérie Donzelli and Gilles Marchand won the Best Screenplay Award for À pied d’œuvre, while the young Luna Wedler received the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Silent Friend.
In the Orizzonti section, notable winners include: En el camino by David Pablos who won Best Film award; Anuparna Roy received Best Director award for her Songs of the Forgotten Trees; Harà Watan – Last Land by Akio Fujimoto obtained Special Jury Prize; Hiedra by Ana Cristina Barragán claimed Best screenplay award. Benedetta Porcaroli won Best Actress for Il rapimento di Arabella by Carolina Cavalli, while Giacomo Covi received Best Actor for Un anno di scuola by Laura Samani.
The Lion of the Future Award for Best Debut Feature was awarded to Short Summer by Nastia Korkia, and the Best Short Film Award went to Utan Kelly – Without Kelly by Lovisa Sirén.
This 82nd edition also saw Kim Novak and Werner Herzog honored with the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement.
Photo Credits: Nicola Quirico, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
