The Lorenzo Vigas-directed movie takes home makes history with Golden Lion win while 'The Childhood of a Leader' collects two coveted prizes.
- Sep 13, 2015
AceShowbiz - The winners for the 72nd annual Venice Film Festival were announced as the event came to a close on September 12. "From Afar" or "Desde alla" won the coveted Golden Lion, making it the first ever Latin American film to receive the prize.
The first feature film by director Lorenzo Vigas and the first-ever entry from Venezuela, it follows a wealthy middle-aged man who falls for a street thug, changing both their lives. It's based on a story by "21 Grams" writer Guillermo Arriaga.
The head jury, Alfonso Cuaron ("Gravity"), denied a suggestion that the outcome of the jury's deliberations may have been influenced by his Mexican heritage. "I have as much sway as the King or Queen of Sweden. My role is more representative than anything else. Even if I had wanted (to support Latin America) it would have been a bigger conspiracy and I would have had to share the money," he joked as quoted by Deadline.
Another winner is Brady Corbet's directorial debut "The Childhood of a Leader". It won Best First Film and earned Corbet the title of Best Director. A historical drama about the childhood of a fascist leader during World War I, it stars Robert Pattinson, Berenice Bejo, Liam Cunningham, and Stacy Martin.
The Grand Jury award, often considered as the runner-up honor, went to Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson's American animated film, "Anomalisa". Cary Fukunaga's "Beasts of No Nation" which marks Netflix's first foray into feature film earned one of the cast, Abraham Attah, a Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actor.
Noticeably missing from the winner list is "The Danish Girl" starring Eddie Redmayne despite its rave reviews from audience. "This is not a testament of a universal truth. This is just this decision of this group of people. You know if you put the same films with a different group of people, you would have a different result. An award doesn't prove much. The only thing that proves something is time and history," Cuaron reasoned.
VENICE 72:
- Golden Lion: "From Afar" (Lorenzo Vigas)
- Silver Lion for Best Director: Pablo Trapero ("The Clan")
- Grand Jury Prize: "Anomalisa" (Charlie Kaufman, Duke Johnson)
- Volpi Cup for Best Actor: Fabrice Luchini ("L'Hermine")
- Volpi Cup for Best Actress: Valeria Golino ("Per Amor Vostro")
- Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actor: Abraham Attah ("Beasts of No Nation")
- Best Screenplay: Christian Vincent ("L'Hermine")
- Special Jury Prize: "Frenzy" (Emin Alper)
- Best Film: "Free in Deed" (Jake Mahaffy)
- Best Director: Brady Corbet ("The Childhood of a Leader")
- Special Jury Prize: "Neon Bull" (Gabriel Mascaro)
- Special Prize for Best Actor:Dominique Leborne ("Tempete")
- Best Short Film: "Belladonna (Dubravka Turic)
- Lion of the Future - Luigi De Laurentiis Venice Award for a Debut Film: "The Childhood of a Leader" (Brady Corbet)
- Best Documentary on Cinema: "The 1000 Eyes of Dr Maddin" (Yves Montmayeur)
- Best Restoration: "Salo, or The 120 Days of Sodom" (Pier Paolo Pasolini)
