‘Poor Things’ Takes Top Prize at Venice Film Festival

“Poor Things,” directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, was awarded the Golden Lion for greatest movie on the eightieth Venice International Film Festival on Saturday by a contest jury led by Damien Chazelle. The movie stars Emma Stone in a virtuoso efficiency as a lady with an initially childlike understanding of the world who comes into her personal via a sexual and philosophical journey.

Bella Baxter, the principle character within the movie, “wouldn’t exist without Emma Stone,” Lanthimos stated. “This film is her, in front of and behind the camera.” Stone beforehand collaborated with Lanthimos on “The Favourite,” which gained the Grand Jury Prize on the pageant in 2018.

Like many different actors in movies screened on the pageant, Stone was not in attendance, because the strike by SAG-AFTRA, the union that represents tv and film actors, continued.

Set in a partly fantastical Nineteenth-century Europe, “Poor Things” follows Bella (Stone) on her eye-opening adventures in Tony McNamara’s adaptation of the 1992 Alasdair Gray novel. The movie additionally stars Willem Dafoe as Bella’s father who’s a physician, Ramy Youssef as his assistant and her suitor, and Mark Ruffalo as a lascivious lawyer.

Lanthimos stated that the movie took “quite a few years” to convey into being, earlier than “the world, or our industry,” was prepared for its story. The award announcement was met with a roar of applause.

The eightieth version of the pageant opened with “Comandante,” a historic drama about an Italian submarine that rescued Belgian sailors throughout World War II. Other distinguished movies included “Maestro,” “Priscilla,” “The Killer,” “Ferrari,” “Hit Man,” “Origin,” “El Conde,” “Aggro Dr1ft,” “Coup de Chance,” “Dogman” and William Friedkin’s ultimate movie, “The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial.”

The newest version obtained huge acclaim regardless of advance hypothesis that the SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild of America strikes in Hollywood may have an effect on the pageant’s influence. Stars have been largely absent. However, there have been exceptions, together with Adam Driver and Jessica Chastain, because of interim agreements secured with SAG-AFTRA; each actors expressed help for the strikes. But the filmmakers didn’t disappoint: Before the awards ceremony, crowds chanted “Yorgos! Yorgos!” when the director walked onto the crimson carpet.

The Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize went to “Evil Does Not Exist,” the brand new movie from Ryusuke Hamaguchi, whose movie “Drive My Car” gained an Academy Award. His newest characteristic facilities on a small city in Japan attempting to fend off a deliberate glamping website.

Immigration was a recurring theme among the many prizewinners. The Silver Lion for greatest director went to Matteo Garrone for the immigration drama “Me Captain.” The Special Jury Prize went to Agnieszka Holland for “Green Border,” her multifaceted have a look at immigration to Poland.

The Volpi Cup for greatest actress was awarded to Cailee Spaeny, who performed the titular position in Sofia Coppola’s “Priscilla,” the story of Priscilla Presley’s relationship with Elvis Presley. The greatest actor award went to Peter Sarsgaard for his position as a person with dementia who’s accused of previous abuse in Michel Franco’s “Memory.” In his acceptance speech, Sarsgaard spoke movingly in opposition to the specter of synthetic intelligence. Seydou Sarr gained the Marcello Mastroianni Award, given to an excellent rising actor, for “Me Captain.”

The greatest screenplay honor was given to “El Conde,” a vampiric reimagining of Gen. Augusto Pinochet, the Chilean dictator, written by Guillermo Calderón and Pablo Larraín, who additionally directed. “Love Is a Gun,” directed by Lee Hong-Chi, obtained the Lion of the Future award for greatest debut characteristic. “Thank You Very Much,” a playful have a look at Andy Kaufman, gained the Venice Classics award for greatest documentary on cinema.

For the Orizzonti part, one other competitors slate within the pageant, the highest prize went to “Explanation for Everything,” an expansive work from the Hungarian director Gabor Reisz. “El Paraiso,” a mother-daughter drama, additionally gained two awards on this part: Margarita Rosa de Francisco gained for greatest actress, and Enrico Maria Artale gained for greatest screenplay. Notably, a Mongolian movie, “City of Wind,” was honored for greatest actor (Tergel Bold-Erdene).

This 12 months’s Golden Lions for lifetime achievement went to Tony Leung Chiu-wai, a star of Hong Kong cinema, and to the director Liliana Cavani, whose movie “The Order of Time” performed out of competitors. The Glory to the Filmmaker Award went to Wes Anderson, whose quick movie “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar” performed out of competitors.