Here Are The Winners In Venice

Posted on September 10, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Venice Film Festival has come to a close with the awarding of prizes. And here they are:

Golden Lion for Best Film: All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, d: Laura Poitras
Grand Jury Prize: Saint Omer, d: Alice Diop
Silver Lion for Best Director: Bones and All, d: Luca Guadagnino
Special Jury Prize: No Bears, d: Jafar Panahi
Best Screenplay: The Banshees of Inisherin, Martin McDonagh
Volpi Cup for Best Actress: Tár, Cate Blanchett
Volpi Cup for Best Actor: The Banshees of Inisherin, Colin Farrell
Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actor: Bones and All, Taylor Russell

I would say that the big winner of the festival is undoubtedly The Banshees of Inisherin. Going into the festival, this film was only occasionally mentioned as an Oscar contender and that was just because director Martin McDonagh was previously responsible for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. However, the festival not only saw Banshees win the race for the longest standing ovation but it also won awards for McDonagh’s screenplay and Colin Farrell’s lead performance.

Cate Blanchett won best actress for Tar. Blanchett was already considered to be a probable Oscar nominee so the award at Venice will certainly help the establish the narrative that will be necessary for Blanchett to take home her third Oscar.

As for Luca Guadagnino winning Best Director, that’s fine. He’s a good director but I’ll never forgive him for the Suspiria remake. If he agrees to keep Argento’s name out of his mouth, I’ll add him to my list of Oscar contenders.

Trailer: Shame (dir. Steve McQueen)

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Arleigh

Every year sees a few films which dares to push the boundaries of film storytelling. This year already had the exemplary film Drive from Danish filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn and now with the year on it’s final two months we have another in Shame by the British filmmaker Steve McQueen.

Shame is an erotic drama starring Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan and has been making the international film festival circuit with the film and Fassbender earning accolades for best picture and best actor. The film was already gathering some steam not just through the performances and McQueen’s direction, but for it’s producers stance on not appealing the MPAA giving the film the dreaded NC-17 rating. The film will be shown to the audience uncut and as it was meant to be instead of being re-edited for a much more business-friendly R-rating.

I, for one, applaud the filmmakers sticking to their guns about showing it in it’s NC-17 form. Now, the rest of the film-going world will finally get to see what all the hype and hoopla about this film when it gets a limited release this December 2, 2011 in the United States and on January 13, 2012 over in the UK.

Black Swan: Aronofsky, Portman and Kunis this December

Posted on August 4, 2010 by Arleigh

On July 22, 2010 USA Today score the first exclusive pictures from the set of Darren Aronofsky’s follow-up to his critically-acclaimed 208 film, The Wrestler. This time around Aronofsky takes on Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake and weaves a psychological thriller around the classic ballet.

Black Swan will have in the titular lead one Ms. Natalie Portman. She’s taking on a role which continues her attempts to expand her repoertoire of character beyond the helpless child-like young women she’s been portraying since she first burst onto the scene. Playing opposite Ms. Portman is Mila Kunis. There’s already been talk going as far back as late 2009 that the two co-sta’ characters will be getting real close.

Synopsis: The dark tale with psychological twists stars Natalie Portman as Nina, a technically brilliant ballerina whose life takes some strange turns after being picked as the lead in a New York City production of Swan Lake. Pressures mount as her overbearing mother (Barbara Hershey) pushes her to succeed and her manipulative dance master (Vincent Cassel) commands her to be more seductive and loose in her performance.

Complicating matters is the arrival of Lily (Mila Kunis), a sultry dancer who exhibits all the innate ease and sexuality that Nina lacks. Nina begins to fixate on the newcomer as the two forge an unusual relationship.

The film will premiere at the Venice Film Festival this September and also appear in the 35th Toronto Internation Film Festival. Black Swan will be shown in limited release this coming December 1, 2010 to qualify it for the awards season and from the buzz surrounding this film don’t be surprised if it does well with awards and critics prizes. Pictures from the set can be seen in the USA Today link below.