‘Joker’ Wins Golden Lion, Roman Polanski’s ‘An Officer and a Spy’ Wins Grand Jury Prize at Venice Film Festival – TheWrap
“Joker” from director Todd Phillips won the Golden Lion, and “J’Accuse,” or “An Officer and a Spy,” from director Roman Polanski has won the Grand Jury Prize, the festival’s runner up prize, at the 76th edition of the Venice Film Festival.
The comic book film starring Joaquin Phoenix in an origin story of the iconic Batman villain beat out a lineup that also included films such as James Gray’s “Ad Astra” and Steven Soderbergh’s “The Laundromat” for the top prize.
“I want to thank Warner Bros. and DC for stepping out of their comfort zone and taking a big swing on me,” director Todd Phillips said as he accepted the Golden Lion.
Polanski’s “An Officer and a Spy” stars Jean Dujardin in a film about the Dreyfus Affair. His presence at the festival generated some backlash, as it’s his first film since the director was expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He was not present in Venice to accept the award.
Also Read: ‘Joker’ Film Review: Joaquin Phoenix Channels Classic Robert De Niro in Grungy ’70s Homage
This year’s jury is led by Lucrecia Martel, along with Mary Harron (replacing Jennifer Kent), Piers Handling, Stacy Martin, Rodrigo Prieto, Tsukamoto Shinya and Paolo Virzi rounding out the jury.
In previous years, art house films like “The Woman Who Left,” “From Afar” and “A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence” have won the prize, but more recently the festival has leaned toward more commercial entries, selecting Oscar favorites “The Shape of Water” two years ago followed by “Roma” last year.
Swedish director Roy Andersson won the Silver Lion for Best Director for his film “About Endlessness,” though he was not present to accept the award. Luca Martinelli won the Best Actor prize for “Martin Eden.” Ariana Ascaride won Best Actress for “Gloria Mundi.” Ji Yuan Tai Qi Hao won the Best Screenplay for his animated film “No. 7 Cherry Lane.” And Toby Wallace won the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best New Talent for the film “Babyteeth.”
Also Read: Venice 2019 Line-Up Reminds Us Gender Equality Has a Long Way to Go (Commentary)
This year’s festival also came under fire for only featuring two films directed by women among the titles in competition, “Babyteeth” by Shannon Murphy and “The Perfect Candidate” by Haifaa al-Mansour.
See the full list of awards winners below:
VENICE 76 AWARDS
Golden Lion: “Joker,” Todd Phillips
Grand Jury Prize: “J’Accuse” (“An Officer and a Spy”), Roman Polanski
Best Director: Roy Andersson, “About Endlessness”
Best Actress: Ariana Ascaride, “Gloria Mundi”
Best Actor: Luca Martinelli, “Martin Eden”
Best Screenplay: Ji Yuan Tai Qi Hao, “No. 7 Cherry Lane”
Special Jury Prize: “La Mafia Non E Piu Quella Di Una Volta,” Franco Maresco
Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best New Talent: Toby Wallace, “Babyteeth”
VENICE CLASSICS
Best Documentary on Cinema: “Babenco: Tell Me When I Die,” Barbara Faust
Best Restored Film: “Extase,” Gustav Machaty
VENICE VR
Best VR Story Award: “Daughters of Chibok,” Joel Kachi Benson
Best VR Experience: “A Linha,” Ricardo Laganaro
Best VR: “The Key,” Celine Tricart
HORIZONS AWARD
Best Film: “Atlantis,” Valentyn Vasyanovych
Best Director: Theo Cort, “Blanco en Blanco”
Special Jury Prize: “Verdict,” Raymund Ribay Gutierrez
Best Actress: Marta Nieto, “Madre”
Best Actor: Sami Bouajila, “Bik Eneich – Un fils”
Best Screenplay: “Revenir,” Jessica Palud, written by Jessica Palud, Philippe Lioret, Diasteme
Best Short Film: “Darling,” Saim Sadiq
LION OF THE FUTURE
Luigi De Laurentiis Award for best Debut Film: “You Will Die at 20,” Amjad Abu Alala
14 Buzziest Movies for Sale at This Year’s Toronto Film Festival (Photos)
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The Toronto International Film Festival is better known as a launching pad for films about to hit theaters than as a sales market, but the packed slate of projects includes quite a few that will be vying for the attention of studios, indie distributors and streaming services.
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“Bad Education”
Perhaps one of the biggest titles for sale, “Bad Education” stars Hugh Jackman, Allison Janney, Ray Romano and Alex Wolff and is based on the real-life events that took place at writer Mike Makowsky’s high school.
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“Citizen K”
Following his critically lauded “The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley,” Alex Gibney is back with “Citizen K,” a documentary about Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who went from communist to political prisoner in a 20-year battle with Putin.
TIFF
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“Dads”
Bryce Dallas Howard’s debut feature documentary is about dads — including her own, Ron Howard. It includes insight from Patton Oswalt on becoming a single parent after the death of his wife, and Hasan Minhaj reflection on his immigrant father’s sacrifices. “Dads” is also the first film under Imagine Entertainment’s new documentary division, which has already released “Pavarotti” and has plans for films about Louis Armstrong, Dwyane Wade and last year’s wildfires in California.
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“The Friend”
Based on the award-winning Esquire article of the same name, the film follows a man (Jason Segel) who puts his life on hold to help his friends through a terminal cancer diagnosis. Dakota Johnson and Casey Affleck also star in director Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s (“Blackfish”) film.
TIFF
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“How to Build a Girl”
Everyone is obsessed with Beanie Feldstein following her performance in “Booksmart,” so this film has become a buzzy title for TIFF buyers. She stars as a teenager trying to reinvent herself as a hip London music critic. Chris O’Dowd and Emma Thompson also star.
TIFF
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“There’s Something in the Water”
Canadian Ellen Page turned her eyes homeward for her documentary about toxic fallout from industrial development. But as she explores her native Nova Scotia and visits families who have contracted cancer and other side effects from the toxins, she discovers these incidents have all been localized in poor income neighborhoods often home to indigenous or black communities. Page and Ian Daniel, who directs the documentary-series “Gaycation” with Page, call out the “environmental racism” taking place as native women fight for their land.
TIFF
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“The Vigil”
Keith Thomas’ horror film follows a young man who has to fulfill his Jewish practice of watching over a deceased family member of the Orthodox community. Of course, he is soon confronted with a malevolent entity.
TIFF
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“Wasp Network”
“Wasp Network” will be the 17th narrative feature from the prolific French auteur Olivier Assayas, but this his first political thriller since 2010’s “Carlos.” Edgar Ramírez stars in the spy drama, based on the true story of five Cuban dissidents who were imprisoned by the U.S. in the 1990s on charges of espionage and murder. Penélope Cruz, Ana de Armas and Gael García Bernal also star.
RT Features
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“Blackbird”
Susan Sarandon, Sam Neill, Kate Winslet and Mia Wasikowska star in “Notting Hill” director Roger Michell’s remake of the 2014 Danish film “Silent Heart.” Sarandon plays a mother who learns she’s dying and chooses to end her life on her own terms. But when her family gathers for one last goodbye, tensions between sisters Winslet and Wasikowska boil back up to the surface.
TIFF
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“Red Penguins”
“Red Penguins,” the latest documentary from Gabe Polsky (“Red Army,” “In Search of Greatness”), follows Steve Warshaw’s attempts to change post-Soviet Russian hockey into a sporting event for everyone, with the help of Hollywood executives and advertisers, forever transforming Russian-American relations.
TIFF
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“And We Go Green”
Leonardo DiCaprio produces this film about the international Formula E circuit, which is similar to Formula One but with eco-friendly electric cars. On brand for the actor, who even has a foundation dedicated to the environment and Earth’s inhabitants.
TIFF
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“Rocks”
After “Suffragette,” Sarah Gavron is back with “Rocks,” which is picking up major word of mouth ahead of the festival. The movie follows a young girl who finds herself struggling to take care of herself and her younger brother.
TIFF
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“Guns Akimbo”
This one is for the Daniel Radcliffe fans out there — a dark sci-fi thriller in which the actor plays the next contestant in an illegal livestreamed death match. Samara Weaving, fresh off “Ready Or Not,” also stars.
TIFF
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“The Other Lamb”
This sounds like one for fans of Ari Aster’s “Midsommar.” Michiel Huisman plays a cult leader who is questioned by a young woman born into the cult. Plus, it was featured on the 2017 BloodList for best (then-)unproduced horror scripts.
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Toronto 2019: Environmental docs, spy dramas and films with big names will be all the rage at this year’s festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is better known as a launching pad for films about to hit theaters than as a sales market, but the packed slate of projects includes quite a few that will be vying for the attention of studios, indie distributors and streaming services.
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