The 80th edition of the Venice Film Festival ended yesterday evening with the announcement of the winners:
- Golden Lion for the best film: “Poor Things” by the Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos
– Silver Lion – Grand Jury Prize: “Aku wa sonzai shinai” (“Evil does not exist”) by Ryusuke Hamaguchi (Japan)
– Silver Lion for best director: Matteo Garrone for “Io capitano” (I am the captain)” (Italy)
- Best Actress Award: Cailee Spaeny for her role in “Priscilla” by Sofia Coppola
– Award for the best actor: Peter Sarsgaard for his role in “Memory” by Michel Franco
– Best Screenplay Award: Guillermo Calderon and Pablo Larrain for “El Conde” by Pablo Larrain
– Special Jury Prize: “Zielona granica” (“The Green Border”) by Polish director Agnieszka Holland
- Marcello Mastroianni Award for “A New Hope”: Seydou Sarr for his role in “I, the Captain” by Matteo Garrone
The Venice Film Festival sent a message of solidarity with migrants during its awards ceremony, awarding three of its prizes to films focused on dramas related to the migration crisis.
The jury, chaired by American director Damien Chazelle (“La La Land”), awarded its special prize to “Green Border,” a shocking film by Polish director Agnieszka Holland about the fate of migrants thrown between Poland and Belarus in 2021.
“We dedicate this award to activists who help immigrants from Poland in Lampedusa, the small Italian island where many immigrants from Africa arrive risking their lives,” said the 74-year-old director as she received her award.
His film shows border guards, humanitarians and migrants caught in a diplomatic game that goes beyond them between Belarus and the European Union.
“Since 2014, when the refugee crisis began, about 66,000 people have died trying to come to Europe,” complained the director, one of the great voices of Polish cinema, nominated several times for an Oscar.
The award for directing went to Italian Matteo Garrone for “I, Captain,” which tells the perilous odyssey of two young Senegalese cousins across Africa and the Mediterranean to reach Italy.
Its young protagonist, Seydou Sarr, received the award as the best young actor.
Matteo Garrone, the director of “Gomorrah”, said on stage that he “sought to give voice to those who really lived this journey”.
