Are you old enough to remember when Netflix was an underdog in international film festivals? When trepidation towards the future of film distribution was enough to keep streaming titles from winning in major film competitions? With all due respect to the Cannes Film Festival, those days certainly seem to be coming to an end. The Venice Film Festival has announced its lineup of winners, and Netflix has made quite a show for itself in the major categories.
READ MORE: Venice Film Festival 2021 Preview: 12 Must-See Films To Watch
Of course, the real standout of the festival is Audrey Diwan‘s “Happening.” The French period piece, which depicts the struggles for abortion access in 1960s France, was this year’s Golden Lion winner. Paolo Sorrentino‘s “The Hand of God,” one of the aforementioned Netflix releases in competition at the festival, took home the Grand Jury Prize, with Filippo Scotti also receiving the Best Young Actor award from the festival for his breakout role.
The other major winner of the festival was director Jane Campion, who took home the Best Director prize for her film “The Power of the Dog.” Campion is no stranger to the Venice Film Festival; she had previously been nominated for the Golden Lion award for 1990’s “An Angel at My Table” and 1999’s “Holy Smoke,” but this marks the first time she will take home an award in one of the major competition categories. Oh, and “The Power of the Dog” is another Netflix release, just in case there was any confusion.
Here’s the full list of winners:
MAIN COMPETITION
Best Young Actor: Filippo Scotti, “The Hand of God”
Special Jury Prize: “Il Buco” (dir. Michelangelo Frammartino)
Best Screenplay: “The Lost Daughter” (Maggie Gyllenhaal)
Best Actor: John Arcilla, “On the Job: Missing 8”
Best Actress: Penélope Cruz, “Parallel Mothers”
Silver Lion for Best Director: Jane Campion, “The Power of the Dog”
Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize: “The Hand of God,” Paolo Sorrentino
Golden Lion: “Happening” (dir. Audrey Diwan)
VIRTUAL REALITY
Best VR Story: “End of Night” (dir. David Adler)
Best VR Experience: “Le bal de Paris de Blanca Li” (dir. Blanca Li)
Best VR Grand Jury Prize: “Goliath: Playing with Reality” (dirs. Barry Gene Murphy, May Abdalla)
Lion of the Future: “Imaculat” (dirs. Monica Stan, George Chiper-Lillemark)
HORIZONS
Orrizonti Audience Award: “The Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic” (dir. Teemu Nikki)
Best Short Film: “Los Huesos” (dirs. Cristóbal León, Joaquín Cociña)
Best Screenplay: “107 Mothers” (Péter Kerekes, Ivan Ostrochovský)
Best Actor: Piseth Chhun, “White Building”
Best Actress: Laure Calamy, “À Plein Temps”
Special Jury Prize: “El Grand Movimiento” (dir. Kiro Russo)
Best Director: Eric Gravel, “À Plein Temps”
Best Film: “Pilgrims” (dir. Laurynas Bareisa)
Follow along with our full coverage from the 2021 Venice Film Festival here.
