Pedro Almodóvar’s The Room Next Door won the Golden Lion for best film at the 2024 Venice Film Festival.
Almodóvar’s first English-language feature marks the first time he has won the top award at one of the three major film festivals (Cannes, Venice and Berlin). Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore star in the story of a woman who makes the decision to end her life, and the friend who re-enters her world around this time.
Scroll down for the full list of winners
Sony Pictures Classics will release the film in the US on December 20; with Warner Bros handling multiple international territories including UK-Ireland; its top Venice prize will be a significant boost to the film’s prospects heading into the awards season.
Brady Corbet took best director for The Brutalist, giving a passionate speech in which he thanked his partner and co-writer Mona Fastvold. Protagonist Pictures sold all international rights on the film to Focus Features, with CAA representing US rights.
Nicole Kidman won best actress for Babygirl; but having returned to Venice for the ceremony, she was called away during the day due to the death of her mother Janelle Ann Kidman. Her Babygirl director Halina Reijn accepted the award on Kidman’s behalf, reading a message from the actress in which she said “my heart is broken.” Later at the post-ceremony press conference, Competition jury president Isabelle Huppert sent her condolences to Kidman, saying “we love her. We miss her.”
‘Babygirl’ director Halina Reijn announces that #Venezia81 best actress winner Nicole Kidman left Venice today as her mother Janelle Ann Kidman has just died.
Reijn reads a message on behalf of Kidman, saying “my heart is broken”. pic.twitter.com/Vh5cwS86qw
— Screen International (@Screendaily) September 7, 2024
Huppert’s jury gave the Special Jury Prize to Dea Kulumbegashvili’s Georgian drama April; and the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize to Maura Delpero’s Italian title Vermiglio.
The ceremony was hosted by Italian actress Sveva Alviti, who also hosted the opening ceremony on August 28. Several awardees mentioned the Israeli offensive in Gaza in their speeches, including Sarah Friedland, winner of the debut film award and Horizons best director for Familiar Touch, who described Israel’s actions as genocide.
In his speech at his first film festival as president of the Biennale, Pietrangelo Buttafuoco said that ticket sales and attendance figures were up 12% on last year.
Yesterday, winners were announced for the Critics’ Week sidebar – with UK title Paul & Paulette Take A Bath taking the audience award; and Giornate degli Autori, with the main prize going to Portuguese feature Manas.
Lifetime achievement awards have already been presented to Australian filmmaker Peter Weir, and US actress Sigourney Weaver.
Last year’s Golden Lion for best film went to Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things, with the Grand Prize for Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist.
Venice 2024 winners
Competition
Golden Lion – The Room Next Door, dir. Pedro Almodóvar
Special Jury Prize – April, dir. Dea Kulumbegashvili
Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize – Vermigilio, dir. Maura Delpero
Silver Lion for best director – Brady Corbet for The Brutalist
Volpi Cup for Best Actress – Nicole Kidman for Babygirl
Volpi Cup for Best Actor – Vincent Lindon for The Quiet Son
Golden Osella for Best Screenplay – Murilo Hauser, Heitor Lorega for I’m Still Here
Marcello Mastroianni Award – Paul Kircher for And Their Children After Them
Horizons
Best Film – The New Year That Never Came, dir. Bogan Muresanu
Best Director – Sarah Friedland for Familiar Touch
Special Jury Prize – One Of Those Days When Hemme Dies, dir. Murat Firatoglu
Best Actress – Kathleen Chalfant for Familiar Touch
Best Actor – Francesco Gheghi for Familia
Best Screenplay – Scandar Copti for Happy Holidays
Best Short Film – Who Loves The Sun, dir. Arshia Shakiba
Horizons Extra
Armani Beauty prize – The Witness, dir. Nader Saeivar
Lion of the Future Luigi de Laurentis Award for a Debut film – Familiar Touch, dir. Sarah Friedland
Venice Classics
Best documentary on cinema – Chain Reactions, dir. Alexandre O. Philippe
Best restored film – Ecce Bombo, dir. Nanni Moretti
Venice Immersive
Grand Prize – Ito Meikyu, dir. Boris Labbe
Special Jury Prize – Oto’s Planet, dir. Gwenael Francois
Achievement Prize – Impulse: Playing With Reality, dirs. May Abdalla, Barry Gene Murphy