“Poor Things,” directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, was awarded the
Golden Lion for best film at the 80th Venice International Film Festival on
Saturday by a competition jury led by Damien Chazelle. The film stars Emma
Stone in a virtuoso performance as a woman with an initially childlike
understanding of the world who comes into her own through a sexual and
philosophical journey.
اضافة اعلان
Bella Baxter, the main character in the film, “wouldn’t
exist without Emma Stone,” Lanthimos said. “This film is her, in front of and
behind the camera.” Stone previously collaborated with Lanthimos on “The
Favourite,” which won the Grand Jury Prize at the festival in 2018.
Like many other actors in films screened at the festival,
Stone was not in attendance, as the strike by the Screen Actors Guild-American
Federation of Television and Radio Artists, the union that represents
television and movie actors, continued.
Set in a partly fantastical 19th century Europe, “Poor
Things” follows Bella on her eye-opening adventures in Tony McNamara’s
adaptation of the 1992 Alasdair Gray novel. The film also stars Willem Dafoe as
Bella’s father, who is a doctor; Ramy Youssef as his assistant and her suitor;
and Mark Ruffalo as a lascivious lawyer.
Lanthimos said the film took “quite a few years” to bring
into being, before “the world, or our industry,” was ready for its story. The
award announcement was met with a roar of applause.
The 80th edition of the festival opened with “Comandante,” a
historical drama about an Italian submarine that rescued Belgian sailors during
World War II. Other prominent films included “Maestro,” “Priscilla,” “The
Killer,” “Ferrari,” “Hit Man,” “Origin,” “El Conde,” “Aggro Dr1ft,” “Coup de
Chance,” “Dogman” and William Friedkin’s final film, “The Caine Mutiny
Court-Martial.”
The latest edition received wide acclaim despite advance
speculation that the SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild of America strikes in
Hollywood might affect the festival’s impact. Stars were largely absent.
However, there were exceptions, including Adam Driver and Jessica Chastain,
thanks to interim agreements secured with SAG-AFTRA; both actors expressed
support for the strikes. But the filmmakers did not disappoint: before the
awards ceremony, crowds chanted “Yorgos! Yorgos!” when the director walked onto
the red carpet.
The Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize went to “Evil Does Not
Exist,” from Ryusuke Hamaguchi, whose film “Drive My Car” won an Academy Award.
His latest feature centers on a small town in Japan trying to fend off a
planned glamping site.
Immigration was a recurring theme among the prizewinners.
The Silver Lion for best director went to Matteo Garrone for the immigration
drama “Me Captain.” The Special Jury Prize went to Agnieszka Holland for “Green
Border,” her multifaceted look at immigration to Poland.
The Volpi Cup for best actress was awarded to Cailee Spaeny,
who played the titular role in Sofia Coppola’s “Priscilla,” the story of
Priscilla Presley’s relationship with Elvis Presley. The best actor award went
to Peter Sarsgaard for his role as a man with dementia who is accused of past
abuse in Michel Franco’s “Memory.” In his acceptance speech, Sarsgaard spoke
movingly against the threat of artificial intelligence. Seydou Sarr won the
Marcello Mastroianni Award, given to an outstanding emerging actor, for “Me
Captain.”
The best screenplay honor was given to “El Conde,” a
vampiric re-imagining of Gen. Augusto Pinochet, the Chilean dictator, written
by Guillermo Calderón and Pablo Larraín, who also directed. “Love Is a Gun,”
directed by Lee Hong-Chi, received the Lion of the Future award for best debut
feature. “Thank You Very Much,” a playful look at Andy Kaufman, won the Venice
Classics award for best documentary on cinema.
For the Orizzonti section, another competition slate in the
festival, the top prize went to “Explanation for Everything,” an expansive work
from Hungarian director Gabor Reisz. “El Paraiso,” a mother-son drama, also won
two awards in this section: Margarita Rosa de Francisco won for best actress,
and Enrico Maria Artale won for best screenplay. Notably, a Mongolian film,
“City of Wind,” was honored for best actor (Tergel Bold-Erdene).
This year’s Golden Lions for lifetime achievement went to
Tony Leung Chiu-wai, a star of Hong Kong cinema, and to director Liliana
Cavani, whose film “The Order of Time” played out of competition. The Glory to
the Filmmaker Award went to Wes Anderson, whose short film “The Wonderful Story
of Henry Sugar” played out of competition.
Read more Trending
Jordan News
.jpg)
.jpg)
