Indie filmmaker Jarmusch clinches Venice Film Festival's highest honor, triumphing over the Gaza war film contender
Venice Film Festival Wrap-Up: A Mixed Bag of Awards
The 78th Venice Film Festival, held in Italy, came to a close last week, with a diverse range of films taking home top honours. The event, known for being an important launch platform for both big-budget international productions and arthouse films, saw a number of notable films receive recognition.
In the spotlight was "The Smashing Machine," a biopic about late 1990s mixed martial-arts (MMA) pioneer Mark Kerr. Starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, the film, directed by Benny Safdie, won the third-place directing prize. Safdie, in his acceptance speech, thanked viewers for appreciating the film. The Hollywood Reporter had earlier called "The Smashing Machine" a "compellingly gritty and offbeat biopic."
Another film that generated significant discussion was "The Voice of Hind Rajab," a dramatized re-telling of Hind Rajab Hamada's ordeal after she was trapped in a car that came under fire while fleeing Gaza City. Although the Venice jury, under American director Alexander Payne, did not award the Golden Lion to "The Voice of Hind Rajab," the film was given the grand jury second prize.
Jim Jarmusch's "Father Mother Sister Brother" also made waves at the festival. The film, which stars Cate Blanchett, Adam Driver, and Tom Waits, was referred to by Jarmusch as "a kind of anti-action film." The film project was financed by director Benny Safdie, with Brad Pitt, Joaquin Phoenix, Jonathan Glazer, and Alfonso Cuaron joining as executive producers after editing had been completed.
In the acting categories, Italy's Toni Servillo won the best actor award for his role in "La Grazia," playing an Italian president wrestling with whether to sign a euthanasia bill into law. China's Xin Zhilei won the best actress award for her role in "The Sun Rises on Us All," directed by Cai Shangjun.
Meanwhile, the "Orizzonti" ("Horizons") section of the festival saw "En el Camino," a gay Mexican truck driver drama by David Pablos, take the top prize.
The Gaza conflict was a major talking point throughout the festival, with an open letter calling on festival organizers to denounce the Israeli government over its offensive in Gaza having been signed by around 2000 cinema insiders.
In addition to the films, "Sotto le Nuvole" (Below the Clouds), a documentary about Naples, won a special jury prize. Xin Zhilei plays a woman trying to make amends with her former lover, who served time in prison for a crime she had committed, in another notable film.
Overall, the Venice Film Festival provided a platform for a wide variety of films to be showcased and celebrated, with "The Smashing Machine" and "The Voice of Hind Rajab" among the standout titles.
