Venice: A film about illegal abortions in 1960s France has won the top prize at the Venice Film Festival.
Audrey Diwan’s Happening (L’Événement) is about a woman seeking a termination to continue studying.
The film comes after controversial new laws banning abortion after six weeks were introduced in Texas.
The winning film, Happening, is based on an autobiographical novel by Annie Ernaux and portrays a young woman seeking a termination to be able to continue her studies, despite the risk of prison or death.
The award was selected by a jury led by Parasite director Bong Joon-Ho.
The second prize, the Silver Lion, was presented to Italian director Paolo Sorrentino for The Hand of God, a film about his youth in the southern city of Naples.
Netflix took four big prizes out of the competition, including Silver Lion winner Paolo Sorrentino for “The Hand of God,” Best Director Jane Campion for “The Power of the Dog,” Best Young Actor for Paolo Sorrentino’s “Hand of God” breakout Filippo Scotti, and Best Screenplay for first-time writer/director Maggie Gyllenhaal for “The Lost Daughter.”
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)
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)