Venice Film Festival: the winners

The 70th edition of the Venice Film Festival ended with the delivery of the Golden Lion and other prizes: the winner of the Golden Lion for best film is Sacred GRA by Gianfranco Rosi, a documentary on the Grande Raccordo Anulare of Rome and the lives that surround it, much appreciated by critics and the public. The last time Italy had won the Golden Lion was in 1998 with So they laughed, by Gianni Amelio, who curiously was also competing this "year with L" intrepido. A big news is the fact that for the first time to win the top prize at the Festival is a documentary.

The Grand Jury Prize went to Stray Dogs, by director Tsai Ming-Liang, while the Special Jury Prize, chaired by Bernardo Bertolucci, went to the film The policeman "s wife, by Philip Gröning, an "intense story of domestic violence. The best actress, awarded with the Coppa Volpi is Elena Cotta, protagonist of the film Via Castellana Bandiera, by Emma Dante, much acclaimed by the audience also for her long theatrical career. Miss Violence, by the Greek Alexandros Avranas, won two prizes: the Coppa Volpi for best leading actor, Themis Panou, and the Silver Lion for best director.

The Best Screenplay Award went to the film Philomena, by Stephen Frears, with screenplay by Steve Coogan (also actor in the film with Judi Dench) and Jeff Pope.
Finally, the Marcello Mastroianni award, awarded to a debut actor or actress, went to Tye Sheridan, a young co-star of Nicolas Cage in the film Joe.