Some of the year’s most anticipated films premiered at the Venice Film Festival, but only one could walk away with the Golden Lion. That honor was bestowed upon Poor Things, Yorgos Lanthimos’ surrealist black comedy starring the Oscar winner Emma Stone.
The competition for the festival’s most prestigious award was as strong as it gets, and it included David Fincher’s The Killer, Sofia Copolla’s Priscilla, and Michael Mann’s Ferrari, among other acclaimed projects. Lanthimos eventually took the Golden Lion home following the enormous success of Poor Things and dedicated this victory to the leading lady, Emma Stone.
Poor Things stars Stone as a young woman Bella, who tries to find her own path after being brought back to life by an eccentric scientist (Willem Dafoe). The film also stars Mark Ruffalo, Ramy Youssef, Christopher Abbott, Jerrod Carmichael, Margaret Qualley, and Kathryn Hunter.
Poor Things wasn’t the only film to win big in Venice. The list of major award recipients also included Evil Does Not Exist (Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize) and Green Border (Special Jury Prize). Memory’s Peter Sarsgaard and Priscilla’s Cailee Spaeny were awarded for their acting performances, while Matteo Garrone was named the best director for his work on Io Capitano.
The 80th Venice International Film Festival took place between August 30 and September 9, with the La La Land director Damien Chazelle presiding over the main competition jury.
FULL LIST OF WINNERS AT THE 2023 VENICE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL:
Golden Lion
Poor Things, Yorgos Lanthimos
Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize
Evil Does Not Exist, Ryusuke Hamaguchi
Silver Lion Best Director
Matteo Garrone, Io Capitano
Special Jury Prize
Green Border, Agnieszka Holland
Best Screenplay
Pablo Larrain and Guillermo Calderón, El Conde
Best Actress
Cailee Spaeny, Priscilla
Best Actor
Peter Sarsgaard, Memory
Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best New Young Actor or Actress
Seydou Sarr, Io Capitano
HORIZONS
Best Film
Explanation For Everything, Gábor Reisz
Best Director
Mika Gustafson, Paradise Is Burning
Special Jury Prize
Una Sterminata Domenica, Alain Parroni
Best Actress
Margarita Rosa De Francisco, El Paraiso
Best Actor
Tergel Bold-Erdene, City of Wind
Best Screenplay
El Paraiso, Enrico Maria Artale
Best Short Film
A Short Trip, Erenik Beqiri
Lion of the Future – Luigi De Laurentiis Award for a Debut Film
Love Is A Gun, Lee Hong-Chi
HORIZONS EXTRA
Audience Award
FELICITÀ (HAPPINESS), Micaela Ramazzotti
VENICE CLASSICS
Best Documentary
Thank You Very Much, Alex Braverman
Best Restored Film
OHIKKOSHI (MOVING), Shinji Somai
VENICE IMMERSIVE
Grand Jury Prize
Songs For A Passerby, Celine Daemen
Special Jury Prize
Flow, Adriaan Lokman
Immersive Achievement Prize
Emperor, Marion Burger, Ilan Cohen
