Pedro Almodóvar, a renowned Spanish director, made history with his debut English-language film, ‘The Room Next Door’, claiming the prestigious Golden Lion at this year’s Venice International Film Festival. The movie established itself as a standout piece during the event hosted at the international festival’s Lido campus. In a heartfelt moment, Nicole Kidman, who secured the best actress award, honoured her late mother via a representative.
This achievement marked a significant first for Almodóvar, who, despite a distinguished career, had never before bagged the premier accolade at any of the leading European festivals – Venice, Cannes and Berlin. The announcement was met with thunderous applause at the Sala Grande. In his acceptance speech, Almodóvar said, “I dedicate this honour to my family. While I’m not usually this thrilled, this film, The Room Next Door, my first in English, retains its Spanish spirit.”
With a plot inspired by the works of Sigrid Nunez, the movie features Tilda Swinton as a cancer-ridden war correspondent. She convinces a long-time friend, portrayed by Julianne Moore, to help her with her own euthanasia. The movie, notoriously full of Almodóvar’s vibrant imagery, plans for a late-October release in Ireland.
Nicole Kidman, given her best actress award for her daring role as a high-ranking executive who embarks on an intense relationship with a junior intern in Halina Reijn’s provocative film ‘Babygirl’, was unable to attend the ceremony. Her director, however, conveyed a poignant speech on her behalf.
“Once I arrived in Venice today, I soon received devastating news that my mother, the beautiful and courageous Janelle N Kidman, has passed away,” was the heart-wrenching statement read out by Reijn. “With a heavy heart, I must return to my family. This recognition, however, is dedicated to my mother. Her influence crafted my values, guided my path, and indeed, made me who I am. I’m profoundly thankful that I can proudly mention her name to you all, through my character, Halina. The tragic intersection of life and art is deeply painful, and my heart is shattered.”
The film that dominated conversations at the festival was undoubtedly The Brutalist, by Brady Corbet. Before the awards ceremony, the majority believed this film to be the front runner for the Lion award. Nonetheless, Corbet, the American director and former budding actor, seemed content with receiving the best director award. The film, featuring Adrien Brody as a recently immigrated Hungarian architect embroiled with a nefarious oligarch (Guy Pearce) in post-World War II America, received rave reviews during the event’s initial weekend.
“I will endeavour to keep this brief,” Corbet remarked. “Yet if you’ve seen my film, you’ll realise succinctness isn’t exactly my forte. I am grateful to the jury for enduring a multitude of films, including my own hefty three and a half-hour cinematic offering. From my own experience, I understand the commitment it requires to watch so many films. I’m grateful that my film’s length was not held against me.”
Corbet initially gained attention when one of his first three features, The Childhood of a Leader, secured him the Lion of the Future award at the 2015 Venice festival. In his continuation, Corbet stated, “Presenting a film among these remarkable filmmakers has been one of my life’s greatest honours.”
In The Quiet Son by Delphine Coulin and Muriel Coulin, Vincent Lindon, the esteemed French actor, portrayed a father grappling with his son’s descent into far-right politics, winning him the best actor award. Lindon went on to personally thank each member of the jury. This year’s jury was led by Isabelle Huppert, another renowned French talent.
In a night that saw the return of Hollywood’s high profile celebrities to the red carpet following last year’s actor’s strike, Dublin-native Barry Gene Murphy was among the first to take home a prize at the 81st Venice International Film Festival. Paired with May Abdalla, the pair were recognised with the Venice Immersive Achievement award for their innovative mixed-reality piece, Impulse: Playing With Reality. The piece was showcased in the festival’s immersive division, dedicated to virtual reality and related forms, held on an island north of the Lido.
Experiencing sizzling temperatures and sticky conditions, the festival hosted an array of glittering celebrities including Angelina Jolie, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Jude Law, and multiple award nominee, Nicole Kidman. This event serves as the beginning of an extended award season, culminating with the Oscars in early March. It is anticipated that Kidman and films such as The Brutalist and The Room Next Door will be heavily discussed contenders for best actress and best picture respectively.
An overview of top honours from the festival includes Pedro Almodóvar’s The Room Next Door winning the Golden Lion, Maura Delpero’s Vermiglio securing the Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize, Brady Corbet picking up the Silver Lion Best Director award for The Brutalist, and Nicole Kidman winning Best Actress for her role in Babygirl. Young actor Paul Kircher was commended with the Marcello Mastroianni Award for his work in And Their Children After Them.
In the Horizons category, noteworthy achievements included Bogdan Muresanu’s The New Year That Never Came winning Best Film, and Sarah Friedland receiving both Best Director and the Luigi De Laurentiis Award for a Debut Film for Familiar Touch. The popular Audience Award went to The Witness (Shahed) in the Horizons Extra division.
The recipients of the Venice Classics awards are as follows:
– Ecce Bombo, directed by Nanni Moretti, for Best Restored Film
– Chain Reactions for Best Documentary on the subject of cinema.
As for the winners of the Venice Immersive category, the awards were distributed as follows:
– Impulse Playing With Reality received the Venice Immersive Achievement Award
– The Venice Immersive Special Jury Prize was bagged by Oto’s Planet
– Lastly, the Venice Immersive Grand Prize went to Ito Meikyū.