The 2023 Venice Film Festival came to a close on Saturday, September 9, with Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things winning the coveted Golden Lion for Best Film.
The film, a feminist fable starring Emma Stone and Mark Ruffalo, is a reimagining of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein set in 19th century Edinburgh. The black comedy tells the story of a young woman who is brought back to life by a scientist — a darkly funny exploration of gender, identity, and the nature of life.
The Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize was awarded to Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist, a Japanese philosophical drama about a man who sets out to prove that, you guessed it, evil does not exist. However, his journey leads him to confront some difficult truths along the way.
The Special Jury Prize went to Agnieszka Holland’s Green Border, a Polish coming-of-age film about a young woman who travels to Germany in search of a better life. The film is a moving and realistic portrayal of the challenges that many immigrants face.
In the acting categories, Cailee Spaeny won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress for her performance as Priscilla Presley in Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla; While Peter Sarsgaard won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor for his performance in Michel Franco’s Memory.
The Silver Lion for Best Director was awarded to Matteo Garrone for his film Io Capitano, a drama about a Senegalese teenager who leaves home to seek a better life in Europe. The film is a powerful and hopeful story about the human spirit. In line with film’s direction award, the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best New Young Actor or Actress was given to Seydou Sarr for his captivating performance in Io Capitano.
The 80th Venice Film Festival also saw the awarding of several other prizes, including the Horizons Award for Best Film, the Orizzonti Award for Best Director, and the Queer Lion Award for Best Queer Film, which were awarded to Gabor Reisz’ Explanation for Everything, Mika Gustafson’s Paradiset Brinner (Paradise is Burning), and Goran Stolevski’s Housekeeping for Beginners, respectively.
This year’s festival was also notable for the awarding of a Lifetime Achievement Award to Hong Kong actor Tony Leung. Leung is a three-time Golden Lion nominee and has won numerous awards for his work, including the Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival.
The 2023 Venice Film Festival was a successful event that saw a diverse range of films from around the world. The winners of the festival are a testament to the quality of the films that were screened and the talent of the filmmakers who made them.
And we are *quite literally* counting down the days until they grace the big screen again — this time, for good!
