Venice Film Festival Winners

We would like to list out the winners at the recently concluded Venice film Festival. There were certainly some surprises with Todd Solondz winning the Best Screenplay. There was also the lighter fare by Fatih Akin called soul’s Kitchen winning the Grand Jury Prize. But you can indulge in the rest of the winners including the unexpected Golden Lion Winner Lebanon. One of the films we have been following was the Single directed by Fashion designer Tom Ford. It ended up taking the Best Actor Prize at the festival for Colin Firth.

GOLDEN LION “Lebanon” (Samuel Maoz, Israel-France-Germany)
SILVER LION “Women Without Men” (Shirin Neshat, Germany-Austria-France)
GRAND JURY PRIZE “Soul Kitchen” (Fatih Akin, Germany)
ACTOR Colin Firth (“A Single Man,” US)
ACTRESS Ksenia Rappoport (“The Double Hour,” Italy)
MARCELLO MASTROIANNI PRIZE FOR YOUNG PERFORMER Jasmine Trinca (“The Big Dream,” Italy)
BEST SCREENPLAY Todd Solondz
(“Life During Wartime,” US)
TECHNICAL CONTRIBUTION for Set Design Sylvie Olive (“Mr Nobody,” Jaco Van Dormael, France)
OTHER JURIES
LUIGI DE LAURENTIIS LION OF THE FUTURE “Engkwentro,” (Pepe Diokno, Philippines)
VENICE HORIZONS “Engkwentro” (Pepe Diokno, Philippines)
VENICE HORIZONS DUCUMENTARY “1428,” (Du Haibin (China)
VENICE HORIZONS SPECIAL MENTION “The Man’s Woman And Other Stories,” (Amit Dutta, India)
CONTROCAMPO ITALIANO “Cosmonauta,” Susanna Nichiarelli (Italy)
Special Mention “Negli Occhi,” Daniele Anzillotti and Francesco Del Grosso (Italy)
Label Europa Cinemas – Venice Days 2009 Prize “The Last Days of Emma Blank,” (Alex van Warmerdam, The Netherlands)
FIPRESCI (INTL. CRITIC’S ASSN) COMPETITION PRIZE Lourdes,” (Jessica Hausner, Austria)
FIPRESCI HORIZONS AND CRITICS’ WEEK PRIZE “Adrift.” (Bui Thac Chuyen, Vietnam – France)
SHORTS
Corto Cortissimo Lion for Best Short Film “First Born,” (Etienne Kallos, South Africa-US)
Best European Short “Sinner,” (Meni Philip Israel)
Corto Cortissimo Special Mention “Felicità,” (Salome Aleksi, Georgia)