Despite being described as understated, familiar, enjoyable, but perhaps too low-key to be much of an awards darling by critics who have already seen the film, Sofia Coppola’s “Somewhere” won the Golden Lion Best Picture prize at the Venice Film Festival today.
The jury’s president Quentin Tarantino, who once dated Coppola back in the late ’90s and obviously has no hard feelings said the decision was unanimous among the tribunal. “This was a film that enchanted us from our first screening,” Tarantino said during the award ceremony, according to The San Francisco Chronicle via Indiewire. “Yet from that first enchanting screening, it grew and grew and grew in both our hearts, in our analysis, in our minds, and in our affections.” Vincent Gallo won the Best Actor for his lead turn in Jerzy Skolimowsky’s Taliban drama “Essential Killing” (his second feature after an 18 year absence from behind the camera) and the picture itself won the Special Jury Prize. Believe it or not, Mila Kunis from “Black Swan” won an acting award for Best Young Actress. She’s come a long way from “That ’70s Show.” Natalie Portman’s lead role in that film was expected to be the winner of the Best Actress prize, but instead it went to Ariane Labed for “Attenberg.” “Black Swan” was otherwise shut out; Darren Aronofksy’s “The Wrestler” took the top award in 2008.
The complete winner list below the jump
GOLDEN LION for Best Film:
“Somewhere” by Sofia Coppola
SILVER LION for Best Director to:
Alex de la Iglesia for “Balada triste de trompeta”
SPECIAL JURY PRIZE to:
“Essential Killing” by Jerzy Skolimowsky
COPPA VOLPI for Best Actor:
Vincent Gallo for “Essential Killing”
COPPA VOLPI for Best Actress:
Ariane Labed for “Attenberg”
OSELLA for Best Screenplay to:
Alex de la Iglesia for “Balada triste de trompeta”
MARCELLO MASTROIANNI AWARD for Best Young Actor or Actress:
Mila Kunis for “Black Swan”
OSELLA for Best Cinematography to:
Mikhail Krichman for “Silent Souls”
SPECIAL LION FOR AN OVERALL WORK to:
Monte Hellman
EUROPEAN CINEMA AWARD to:
“The Clink of the Ice”
LEONCINO D’ORO (GOLDEN LION CUB) PRIZE to:
“Barney’s Version”
QUEER LION for Best Gay Film:
“In the Future”
What an "honor" — a favored daughter of an Italian-American legend winning an Italian festival award decided by a jury headed by a close personal friend.
So many great female filmmakers out there (like Kelly Reichardt) yet here's spoiled little Sofia making whiney, predictable, half-assed, perfume commercials (with hip music!) to wide critical acclaim and near-mainstream acceptance.
the rich get richer. anyone else annoyed by this(and QT)? the trailer made me want to vomit up my cereal. fuck venice. overrated city anyway.
yur jus jelous anon!!!
But had Tarantino not been the head of the 2010 Venice Film Festival, could the Golden Lion have gone to another (better-received) film, say, Abdellatif Kechiche‘s Venus Noire / Black Venus, François Ozon‘s Potiche, or Pablo Larraín‘s Post Mortem?
Well obviously QT still has some feeling for Coppola and the family. Great PR for her mixed reviews and remake of her own film.
Also it really really bothers me that Sofia gets so much credit and awards as an INDEPENDENT filmmaker when her daddy is her producer and co-screenwriter and her brother shoots so much of her films and is her assistant and producer. Why not just award the whole family of mafiosos. It's too much.
proves what a bonehead narcissist Tarantino really is because basically all his friends got awards from him at Venice! what a lame festival.
As an example of a rich kid using their money/connections for filmic good, look at Dan Pritzker toiling for years to make a 70 min. silent film about Louis Armstrong that's traveling the country with live accompaniment.
For the record, the only thing SC's films are strongly praised for are things she hires other people to do 100% for her. Well-shot images (of her boring compositions), overrated but subtle performances (that elevate her clunky "writing"), and good pop music (used in the most obvious way possible).
Even so, her films are laughable attempts to convince us all of her victimhood — she's the wise, tortured, saint whose inner and outer beauty fails to be appreciated by the world around her (casting Scarlett as your alter-ego, lol, maybe I'll have Jon Hamm play me).
QT said that the decision was unanimous…sure it was. The fact that he even had to say that casts serious doubt on it — as if to prevent the media from asking jury members directly. Even so, it's not like juries aren't bullied/persuaded by a prominent President. I'm generally an Obama supporter, but this reminds of Pres. Obama telling us that all of his generals agreed with his Afghanistan plan. I mean, really, who are you trying to kid?
Typically moronic comments from morons that haven't even seen the film yet.
Sure us morons saw the movie, back when it came out with Bill Murray playing the actor in the hotel with the girl. Who remakes their own movies? Lazy.