The jury chaired by actress Julianne Moore awarded the highest award to the work of Poitras, 58, based on the figure of the photographer and activist Nan Goldin, the queen of underground New York in the 70s/80s.
This is the third time in a row that a woman has received the Golden Lion after France’s Audrey Diwan last year (“L’Evènement”) and Chinese-American Chloé Zhao (“Land of Nomads”) in 2020.
This is the winners list of the main prizes awarded on Saturday during the closing ceremony of the 79th edition of the Venice Film Festival:
Golden Lion: All the Beauty and the Bloodshed by Laura Poitras (USA)
Silver Lion – Grand Jury Prize and Lion of the Future – Best First Feature: Saint Omer by Alice Diop (France)
Silver Lion – Best Director Award: Italian Luca Guadagnino for bones and all
Best Actress Award: Australian Cate Blanchett for her role in Tar by Todd Field
Best Actor Award: Irishman Colin Farrell for his performance in The Banshees of Inisherin by Martin McDonagh
Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Actor or Best Emerging Actress: Actress Taylor Russell for her role in bones and all by Luca Guadagnino
Special Jury Prize: no bears by Jafar Panahi (Iran)
Best Screenplay Award: The Banshees of Inisherin by Irishman Martin McDonagh