The 2025 Venice Film Festival concludes this weekend, with the juries handing out awards Saturday evening (CET) in the competition, Orizzonti, and more sections. Who will win the Golden Lion? We find out today.
Volpi Cup acting prizes went to Toni Servillo for Paolo Sorrentino’s opening night competition premiere “La Grazia” (MUBI) and Xin Zhilei for “The Sun Rises on Us All” (acquisitions title), directed by Cai Shangjun. “The Smashing Machine” filmmaker Benny Safdie won the Best Director prize for the A24 film releasing in the U.S. in October. Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania’s Gaza drama “The Voice of Hind Rajab” (awaiting distribution) was already tipped as a favorite to win, here taking home the Grand Jury Prize; it’s Tunisia’s submission for the Best International Feature Oscar.
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Alexander Payne headed up the competition jury with a panel including filmmakers Cristian Mungiu, Mohammad Rasoulof, Stéphane Brizé, and Maura Delpero, and actors Fernanda Torres and Zhao Tao. The competition selection included new films from Park Chan-wook, Kathryn Bigelow, Mona Fastvold, Benny Safdie, Guillermo del Toro, Noah Baumbach, Jim Jarmusch, Yorgos Lanthimos, and more.
Seen back in Venice for the pre-ceremony red carpet were Toni Servillo (star of Paolo Sorrentino’s “La Grazia”), Jarmusch (director of “Father Mother Sister Brother”), Kaouther Ben Hania, and Safdie (director of “The Smashing Machine”), meaning were all destined to win something.
The jury in the Orizzonti section, dedicated to features at the cutting edge of the art form, is led by director Julia Ducournau along with Italian director Yuri Ancarani, Argentine film critic Fernando Enrique Juan Lima, Australian director Shannon Murphy, and American filmmaker RaMell Ross. Acclaimed films in that section included “Rose of Nevada” by Mark Jenkin and starring Callum Turner and George MacKay, Kent Jones’ “Late Fame” with Willem Dafoe and Greta Lee, Stillz’s “Barrio Triste” from Edglrd, Ali Asgari’s “Divine Comedy,” Ana Cristina Barragan’s “Hiedra,” and more.
The Best Film award in the Orizzonti section went to David Pablos’ Mexican portrait of male desire, “On the Road,” while Best Director went to Anuparna Roy for “Songs of the Forgotten Trees,” who stood up in support of Palestine in an emotional speech.
The ceremony is taking place at the Sala Grande; you can watch a live stream below. The list of winners is below.
Golden Lion:
Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize: “The Voice of Hind Rajab” (dir. Kaouther Ben Hania)
Silver Lion for Best Director: Benny Safdie, “The Smashing Machine”
Special Jury Prize: “Below the Clouds” (dir. Gianfranco Rosi)
Best Screenplay: “À Pied d’œuvre,” Valérie Donzelli and Gilles Marchand
Volpi Cup for Best Actress: Xin Zhilei, “The Sun Rises on Us All”
Volpi Cup for Best Actor: Toni Servillo, “La Grazia”
Marcello Mastroianni Best Young Actor Award: Luna Wedler, “Silent Friend”
Audience Award — Armani Beauty: “Calle Málaga” (dir. Maryam Touzani)
Orizzonti Best Film: “On the Road” (dir. David Pablos)
Orizzonti Best Director: Anuparna Roy, “Songs of the Forgotten Trees”
Orizzonti Special Jury Prize: “Lost Land” (dir. Akio Fujimoto)
Orizzonti Best Actress: Benedetta Porcaroli, “The Kidnapping of Arabella”
Orizzonti Best Actor: Giacomo Covi, “A Year of School”
Orizzonti Best Screenplay: “Hiedra” (Ana Cristina Barragán)
Orizzonti Best Short Film: “Without Kelly” (dir. Lovisa Sirén)
Lion of the Future — “Luigi De Laurentiis” Venice Award for a Debut Film: “Short Summer,” dir. Nastia Korki
Venice Classics — Best Documentary on Cinema: “Mata Hari” (dir. Joe Beshenkovsky, James A. Smith)
Venice Classics — Best Restored Film: “Bashu, The Little Stranger” (dir. Bahram Beyzaie)
Venice Immersive Grand Prize: “The Clouds Are Two Thousand Meters Up” (Singing Chen)
Venice Immersive Special Jury Prize: “Less Than 5GR of Saffron” (Négar Motevalymeidanshah)
Venice Immersive Achievement Prize: “A Long Goodbye” (Kate Voet, Victor Maes)
