The first big autumn awards have been dished out at this year’s Venice Film Festival – the 80th edition. The big winner on the night was Yorgos Lanthimos’ new film, Poor Things which took the top award, the Golden Lion. Lanthimos is becoming one of the best of his generation after previous hits The Lobster (love that movie), The Killing of a Sacred Deer and the Oscar-winning The Favourite. The filmmaker has had success at Venice before, winning the best screenplay award for Alps in 2011. The Venice 2023 awards winners were revealed on Saturday night in the Italian city.
His new film is getting more festival coverage at next month’s BFI London Film Festival and judging by its success at Venice, expect more awards to be flung its way as we head into the season.
Elsewhere, Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist picked up the Grand Jury Prize, while Agnieszka Holland’s Green Border was awarded the Special Jury Prize. The Silver Lions went to Matteo Garrone for Io capitano.
The prizes were picked by Damien Chazelle, who headed the jury alongside Jane Campion, Martin McDonagh, Mia Hansen-Løve, Italian director Gabriele Mainetti, Argentinian screenwriter and director Santiago Mitre, American director and journalist Laura Poitras and Chinese actress Shu Qi.
Related: Searchlight delivers a new trailer for Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things
Here are the Venice 2023 awards winners.
Golden Lion: Poor Things by Yorgos Lanthimos
Grand Jury Prize: Evil Does Not Exist by Ryusuke Hamaguchi
Special Jury Prize: Green Border by Agnieszka Holland
Silver Lion: Matteo Garrone for Io capitano
Volpi Cup for Best Actress: Cailee Spaeny for Priscilla
Volpi Cup for Best Actor: Peter Sarsgaard for Memory
Golden Osella for Best Screenplay: Guillermo Calderón and Pablo Larraín for El Conde
Marcello Mastroianni Award: Seydou Sarr for Io capitano
Poor Things will be released in cinemas on 12th January 2024.
