(MENAFN- Arab Times) Venezuelan director Lorenzo Vigas's striking first feature "From Afar," about a middle-aged gay man who cruises the streets of Caracas searching for young companions, won the Venice Film Festival's Golden Lion.
"I want to dedicate this prize to my amazing country, Venezuela. We've been having some problems, but we're very positive. We're an amazing nation and we're going to start talking to each other more," said the beaming debuting director.
The jury was presided by Alfonso Cuaron. This edition of the fest was marked by plenty of prizes going to Latin American cinema and also to debut directors. Cuaron said it's the first time a Latin American film wins the Golden Lion.
Variety critic Guy Lodge called "From Afar" a "smart, unsensationalized examination of the slow-blossoming relationship between a middle-aged loner and a young street tough."
Chilean veteran Alfred Castro ("No," "The Club") and newcomer Luis Silva both put in potent performances.
Earlier in the day fest topper Alberto Barbera said this year's edition pointed to the strength of Latin American cinema. An aspect which Barbera had also pointed prior to the jury's decision-making, after the lineup was announced in July.
Cuaron was asked if his being Latin American influenced the verdict. "My presence as president counted about as much as the King of Sweden," he quipped. "Even if I wanted [to support Latin America], it would have had to be a bigger conspiracy."
The unknown Vigas came to Venice with plenty of support from the Latin American film industry. Guillermo Arriaga ("Amores Perros, "21 Grams") collaborated on the screenplay. Michel Franco, Edgar Ramirez and Gabriel Ripstein are executive producers.
Italian distributor Valerio De Paolis picked up "From Afar" shortly after it screened in Venice, a nice coup for his recently launched Cinema shingle after it acquired Berlin winner "Taxi," and Cannes winner "Dheepan."
Drama
Venice's other big winner was US first-time director Brady Corbet whose historical mystery drama "Childhood of a Leader," loosely based on a an eponymous Jean-Paul Sartre short story, scooped the Horizons' section nod for best director and also the Lion of the Future, for best first work, awarded by separate juries. "Childhood" is the story of a young American boy living in France in 1918 whose father is working for the US government on the creation of the Treaty of Versailles. Top notch cast comprises Robert Pattinson, Stacy Martin, Liam Cunningham and Berenice Bejo.
Corbet gave special thanks to Scott Walker who composed the score and also thanked the festival for making special last-minute arrangements for a 35mm print of "Childhood" to screen. "I think every filmmaker should have a right to celluloid!" he enthused.
The Silver Lion went to Argentine auteur Pablo Trapero's crime saga "The Clan" about Argentina's notorious Puccio family, which kidnapped their rich neighbors in order to extort ransoms from their relatives. Produced by the Almodovar brothers, "The Clan," which has already done boffo box office at home, is segueing from Venice to Toronto. Italy's 01 Distribuzione will release in Italy.
Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson's stop-motion "Anomalisa," about a man struggling with his inability to connect with other people, took the Jury Grand Prize.
"Duke and I have been working on this for three years. We were looking to make something emotional and true and affecting, which is not usual in animation," said Kaufman at the presser.
Winners of the 72nd Venice Film Festival official awards:
International Competition
* Golden Lion: "From Afar" (Lorenzo Vigas, Venezuela, Mexico)
* Silver Lion: 'The Clan' (Pablo Trapero, Argentina, Spain)
* Jury Grand Prize: 'Anomalisa' (Charlie Kaufman, Duke Johnson, US)
* Special Jury Prize: 'Frenzy' (Emin Alper, Turkey, France, Qatar)
* Actor: Fabrice Luchini ('Courted,' France)
* Actress: Valeria Golino ('Per amor vostro,' Italy, France)
* Marcello Mastroianni Prize for young performer: Abraham Attah ('Beasts of No Nation,' US)
* Best Screenplay: Christian Vincent ('Courted,' France)
* Luigi De Laurentiis Lion Of The Future: 'The Childhood of a Leader,' (Brady Corbett, US)
* Horizons Jury: Best Film: 'Free in Deed' (Jake Mahaffi, US, New Zealand)
* Best Director: Brady Corbet 'Childhood of a Leader' (US)
* Special Jury Prize: 'Neon Bull' (Gabriel Mascaro, Brazil, Uruguay, The Netherlands)
* Special Prize for Best Actor or Actress: Dominique Leborne ('Tempete') by Samuel Collardey (France)
* Best Short: 'Belladonna,' Dubravna Turic (Croatia)
* Venice Classics Awards: Best Documentary on Cinema: 'The 1,000 Eyes of Dr Maddin,' (Yves Montmayeur, France)
* Best Restored Film: 'Sal?, or the 120 Days of Sodom,' (Pierpaolo Pasolini, Italy)
Also:
DEAUVILLE, France: A film about the 2008 US financial crisis, "99 Homes" by Ramin Bahrani, was awarded the Grand Prize at France's Deauville American Film Festival in Normandy on Saturday.
Part social drama, part thriller, the film centres on a young father who is evicted from his home after it is foreclosed and then agrees to work for the very real estate broker responsible for his troubles.
It depicts an America where evicting people from their homes is a "national sport", Bahrani said at the 41st edition of the festival in the northwestern seaside town.
The film was chosen for "its intense dramatic force and absolutely exceptional interpretation", the head of the jury, French director Benoit Jacquot said, noting also the performances by lead actors Andrew Garfield and Michael Shannon.
Second prize at Deauville went to "Tangerine" by Sean Baker which was filmed on a smartphone and focuses on two transgender friends.
The audience award went to "Dope", by Rick Famuyiwa. The comedy, produced by Forest Whitaker, tells the story of a nerdy black teenager living in a violent neighbourhood of Los Angeles. The film's soundtrack was produced by American musician Pharrell Williams.
"Krisha", a debut film by 27-year-old Trey Edward Shults, received the critic's award. Fourteen films were in competition this year.
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