The Venice International Film Festival closed its doors on Saturday, September 8, with a triumphant win for the Mexican director Alfonso Cuarón, who picked up the Golden Lion for Roma. French cinema was honored with the Silver Lion for Best Direction, awarded to Jacques Audiard for The Sisters Brothers.
Unable to accept his award in person as he was already in Toronto to take part in TIFF, Jacques Audiard (who is currently on a festival marathon tour) was represented by Nicole Garcia, who stepped in at the last moment to receive his award.
Claire Burger (photo), on the other hand, was present to accept the GdA Director’s Award—the top prize in the Giornate degli Autori - Venice Days section—for Real Love, her first feature film directed solo. In her acceptance speech, the director declared that she was touched that the award had been given by a jury of both young and international members, of special significance to her since she was born on the Franco-German border.
Finally, we can also celebrate the achievements of French VR productions, which took two of the three awards given at the festival, including Best Film (Spheres, a minority-French production by Atlas V) and Best Story.
All of the French Films in the Venice 2018 Awards List
Official Competition
- Silver Lion for Best Director: Jacques Audiard for The Sisters Brothers
- Luigi de Laurentiis Award for a Debut Film: The Day I Lost my Shadow by Soudade Kaadan
Orizzonti
- Best Film: Manta Ray by Phuttiphong Aroonpheng
- Best Actress: Natalya Kudryashova for The Man Who Surprised Everyone by Natasha Merkulova & Alexei Chupov (minority-French production)
- Best Actor: Kais Nashef for Tel Aviv on Fire by Sameh Zoabi (minority production)
- Venice Short FIlm Nomination for the European Film Awards : The Years, de Sara Fgaier
Venice VR
- Venice VR, Best Film: Spheres de Eliza Mcnitt
- Venice VR, Best Story: Isle of the Dead VR by Benjamin Nuel
The complete awards list for the Official Competition, Orizzonti, and Venice VR sections can be found here.
Venice Days
- Best Director: Claire Burger for Real Love
- Audience Award: Ricordi ? by Valerio Mieli (minority production)
The complete awards list can be found here.
Critics' Week
- Verona Film Club Award: Blonde Animals by Maxime Matray, Alexia Walther
- Mario Serandrei Award & Sun Film Group Audience Award: Still Recording by Ghiath Ayoub & Saeed Al Batal (minority production)
The complete awards list can be found here.
