The Golden Lion was awarded to another strong French movie at the 78th Venice Film Festival.
The 78th Venice Film Festival came to close this evening of September 11,2021. The Closing Ceremony saw this year’s jury of Venezia 78, headed by director Bong Joon Ho, present the awards and the coveted Golden Lion, after watching the 21 feature films in competition. The oldest film festival, considered as a launchpad for future award ceremonies, was back in a full force, still with Covid-safety restrictions, but a great line-up of films and dazzling red carpet moments (just have a look at the clip of Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain for the premiere of Scenes from a Marriage that went viral). During the eleven days of the festival, two lifetime achievements were awarded. The actor, director and screenwriter Roberto Benigni received the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement. Iconic American actress Jamie Lee Curtis was also awarded the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement. She thanked the festival and said that by awarding her this prize, the festival was also by extension honoring her parents, Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh. The Cartier Glory to the Filmmaker, dedicated to a personality who has made a particularly original contribution to the contemporary film industry, was awarded to British director and producer Sir Ridley Scott. After Cannes in July, another strong French film won the highest prize. Audrey Diwan succeeds Chloé Zhao’s Nomadland, who won the coveted prize last year, and is the sixth woman director to win the Golden Lion in the festival’s history since 1949. L’Evènement ( Happening) by Audrey Diwan won the Golden Lion for Best Film in an unanimous vote from the jury. Based on Annie Ernaux’s novel, L’Evènement is about her own experience as a 23-year-old woman getting an illegal abortion in the 1960s. Diwan said she did this film with anger and desire and wanted it to be an experience and tried to make it a journey in the skin of this young woman. “Let’s not look at Anne, but be Anne,” she maintained throughout the shooting. She asked her leading actress Anamaria Vartolomei to join her on stage exclaiming “she is the movie”. The film was co-written by Diwan and Marcia Romano, and stars Anamaria Vartolomei as Anne.
