Venice International Film Festival

The Venice International Film Festival (Italian: Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia) is a film gathering which takes place every year at the Palazzo del Cinema in that city. Two weeks after this event, considered one of the most prestigious of its kind, the Venice Television Awards are also held.

Although the festival is annual, it is framed within what is known as the Venice Biennale, which has been, for more than a century, one of the most important cultural institutions in the world (founded in 1895).

The Festival's highest award is the Golden Lion (Leone d'Oro), which the jury awards to the best film in the competition. The jury also awards the Silver Lion (Leone d'Argento) for best director and the Grand Jury Prize. In the interpretation section, the jury awards the Volpi Cup to the best actor and the best actress. In four editions, specifically between 1993 and 1996, the Volpi Cup was awarded to both the best supporting actor and the best supporting actress (in the latter case, it was only awarded until 1995). Finally, the organization of the Festival awards one or several special Golden Lions each year to different personalities from the world of cinema, recognizing their contribution to the world of cinema.

The main venue of the Festival is located in the Palazzo del Cinema, south of the lungomare Marconi, on the Venice Lido, where the films in competition are presented. Inside are the "Sala Grande", with capacity for 1078 people and the "Sala Volpi", with capacity for 171 people. Other Festival locations are the Palazzo del Casinò, where the "Pearl Room" with capacity for 450 people; the "Sala Darsena", with capacity for 1409 people, and which is usually used for film showings for the press; the Palabiennale, which is the venue with the largest capacity (1,768 seats) and which is set up exclusively for the festival; and the "Sala Astra", which is reserved for accredited visitors and with a capacity for 225 people.

The Venice Film Festival is a category "A" accredited by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF) together with the Berlin, Cannes and San Sebastián festivals, among others. It is also the oldest film festival in the world (first edition in 1932).

The 76th edition took place between August 28 and September 7, 2019. In said edition, the Golden Lion for Best Film went to Joker by Todd Phillips

Awards

The film festival awards are:

Official Selection

• Golden Lion (Leone d'Oro), awarded to the best film projected at the festival

See the winners in León de Oro (International Festival of Venice Film)

• Silver Lion (Leone d'Argento), awarded to the best director in competition

See the winners in León de Plata

• Grand Jury Prize

See the winners at the Jury Grand Prix

• Volpi Cup (Coppa Volpi), awarded to the best actor/actriz
  • See – Best actor
  • See – Best actress
• Special Jury Award, awarded to one or two films

See the winners in Special Jury Prize

• Osella or Osella Gold Award, awarded to the best technical contribution (photography, composer, etc.) and the best script.
• There are other awards that also recognize performances:
  • Marcello Mastroianni Award, instituted in 1998 in honor of the great Italian actor Marcello Mastroianni who died in 1996. The award was created to recognize an emerging actor or actress.
  • León Especial, granted by a general job to a director or actor of a film presented in the main section of the competition.

Orizzonti Section (Horizons)

This section is open to all works of "custom format", with a broader view of the new trends in expressive languages converging in cinema.

Starting with the 67th edition of the festival, four awards have been established in the Orizzonti section:

• The Orizzonti Prize for feature films
• The Orizzonti Special Jury Award (for feature films)
• The Orizzonti Short Film Award
• The Orizzonti Award for Media Film

Le Giornate degli Autori

Le Giornate degli Autori is an independent and parallel section founded in 2004 in association with the Venice Film Festival. It is inspired by the Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.

Jaeger-LeCoultre Agreement

Cinema Palace during the 74th edition of the festival in 2017.

The Jaeger-LeCoultre Glory to the Filmmaker Award, organized together with Jaeger-LeCoultre since 2006. It is dedicated to personalities who have made a significant contribution to contemporary cinema.

This is the list of winners:

Past Awards

Mussolini Cup

The Coppa Mussolini was the first prize from 1934 to 1942 for the best Italian film and the best foreign film. Named after the dictator of Italy Benito Mussolini, it was abandoned after his expulsion in 1943.

Mussolini Cup for Best Italian Film

Mussolini Cup for Best International Film