Venice Film Festival announces winners of its 82nd edition

Shafaq News – Venice

The 82nd Venice International Film Festival concluded in Italy with Father Mother Sister Brother by Jim Jarmusch (USA/Ireland/France) winning the Golden Lion for Best Film.

The closing ceremony, held at the Sala Grande cinema on September 6, announced the winners across the Main Competition, the Orizzonti section, Venice Immersive, Venice Classics, and the Luigi De Laurentiis Award for a Debut Film. Prizes included the Golden Lion, Silver Lion, acting honors, and audience awards.

Main Competition

The international jury, chaired by French filmmaker Stéphane Brizé and including directors Cristian Mungiu, Maura Delpero, Mohammad Rasoulof, actress Zhao Tao, and others, awarded:

- Golden Lion (Best Film): Father Mother Sister Brother by Jim Jarmusch (USA/Ireland/France).

- Grand Jury Prize (Silver Lion): The Voice of Hind Rajab by Kaouther Ben Hania (Tunisia/France).

- Best Director (Silver Lion): Benny Safdie for The Smashing Machine (USA).

- Best Actress (Coppa Volpi): Xin Zhilei in The Sun Rises on Us All by Cai Shangjun (China).

- Best Actor (Coppa Volpi): Toni Servillo in La grazia by Paolo Sorrentino (Italy).

- Best Screenplay: Valérie Donzelli and Gilles Marchand for At Work by Valérie Donzelli (France).

- Special Jury Prize: Below the Clouds by Gianfranco Rosi (Italy).

- Marcello Mastroianni Award (Best Young Actor/Actress): Luna Wedler in Silent Friend by Ildikó Enyedi (Germany/Hungary/France).

Orizzonti Competition

The Orizzonti jury, chaired by Julia Ducournau, honored:

- Best Film: On the Road by David Pablos (Mexico).

- Best Director: Anuparna Roy for Songs of Forgotten Trees (India).

- Special Jury Prize: Lost Land by Akio Fujimoto (Japan/France/Malaysia/Germany).

- Best Actress: Benedetta Porcaroli in The Kidnapping of Arabella by Carolina Cavalli (Italy).

- Best Actor: Giacomo Covi in A Year of School by Laura Samani (Italy/France).

- Best Screenplay: Ana Cristina Barragán for The Ivy (Ecuador).

- Best Short Film: Without Kelly by Lovisa Sirén (Sweden).

Debut Films and Audience Award

The jury for the Luigi De Laurentiis Venice Award for a Debut Film, chaired by Scottish filmmaker Charlotte Wells with members Erige Sehiri (France/Tunisia) and Silvio Soldini (Italy), awarded:

- Luigi De Laurentiis Award for Best Debut Film: Short Summer by Nastia Korkia (Germany/France/Serbia).

- Venezia Spotlight (Audience Award): Calle Málaga by Maryam Touzani (Morocco/France/Spain/Germany/Belgium).

Venice Classics

The jury, chaired by Italian filmmaker Tommaso Santambrogio and composed of 23 cinema students from Italian universities, honored:

- Best Documentary on Cinema: Mata Hari by Joe Beshenkovsky and James A. Smith (USA).

- Best Restored Film: Bashu, the Little Stranger by Bahram Beyzaie (Iran, 1985).

Venice Immersive

The jury, chaired by American filmmaker Eliza McNitt with members Gwenael François and Boris Labbé, selected:

- Grand Prize: The Clouds Are Two Thousand Meters Up by Singing Chen (Taipei/Germany).

- Special Prize: Less than 5gr of Saffron by Négar Motevalymeidanshah (France).

- Achievement Prize: A Long Goodbye by Kate Voet and Victor Maes (Belgium/Luxembourg/Netherlands).

Festival Overview

The festival, chaired by Alberto Barbera, ran from August 27 to September 7, 2025, screening films across the Main Competition, Orizzonti, Immersive, Venice Classics, and special out-of-competition sections. More than 4,500 participants from over 70 countries attended the world’s oldest film festival.

For more info: https://www.labiennale.org/en/news/official-awards-82nd-venice-international-film-festival

Credit: Independent journalist and reporter Mansour Jahani