Father, Mother, Sister, Brother

Source: Vague Notion, Yorick Le Saux

‘Father, Mother, Sister, Brother’

Jim Jarmusch’s Father Mother Sister Brother won the Golden Lion for best film at the 2025 Venice Film Festival on a night when politics took centre stage.

Scroll down for full list of winners

The anthology of family stories stars Cate Blanchett, Adam Driver, Charlotte Rampling and Vicky Krieps. The Match Factory is handling sales, with Mubi distributing in select territories.

In his winners speech, Jarmusch referenced the many political speeches of the night, saying: “I appreciate what (fellow winner) Benny Safdie said about empathy - art does not have to address politics directly to be political, it can engender empathy and a connection between us which is really the first step towards solving the problems we have”.

Safdie won the best director award for The Smashing Machine, his biopic of former UFC figure Mark Kerr. He paid tribute to star Dwayne Johnson in his speech, telling the crowd: “I want to thank you for diving head first with a blindfold and x-ray vision, you truly performed with no net and we jumped off the cliff together.” A24 are handling international sales on the film.

The Grand Jury Prize went to Kaouther Ben Hania’s The Voice of Hind Rajab, which tells the real-life story of a six-year-old girl killed by Israeli forces and was met with a rapturous standing ovation at its premiere earlier this week.

The director dedicated the award to “the Palestinian Red Crescent and all those who risk everything to save lives in Gaza,” adding: “The voice of Hind is the voice of Gaza itself. Her voice will continue to echo until accountability is real.”

Alexander Payne’s jury gave the special jury prize to Gianfranco Rosi’s documentary Below The Clouds.

The best actor prize went to local favourite Toni Servillo for his performance in Paolo Sorrentino’s La Grazia. China’s Xin Zhilei won best actress for Cai Shanjun’s drama The Sun Rises On Us All.

The Venice Luigi De Laurentis award for debut film went to Nastia Korkia’s Short Summer. In her speech the German-based director who was raised in Russia urged the audience to keep their “eyes wide open” to the war in Ukraine, which she said was “like radiation, it destroys society from within.”

The top prize in the Horizons strand went to David Pablos’ Mexican road movie On The Road, whilst Anuparna Roy collected best director prize for Songs of Forgotten Trees.

Roy also referenced the Gaza conflict in her speech, saying:  “Every child deserves peace, freedom and liberation and Palestine is no exception. It is a responsibility to think for a moment and stand beside Palestine. I might upset my country but it doesn’t matter to me anymore.”

The ceremony, hosted by Italian actress Emanuela Fanelli, paid tribute to the late Gorgio Armani with an extended standing ovation.

UK features have already thrived in the festival’s independent sidebars, with Straight Circle and Ish leading the winners in Critics’ Week; and Greece-UK co-production Bearcave taking the Europa Cinemas Label in Giornate degli Autori.

Golden Lion awards for lifetime achievement have already been presented to Werner Herzog, who attended the festival with his new film Ghost Elephants; and Vertigo star Kim Novak. Julian Schnabel, who showed his new film In The Hand of Dante out of competition, received the honorary Glory to the Filmmaker award.

The festival closed with the world premiere this evening of Cedric Jimenez’s Chien 51, out of competition.

Last year’s Golden Lion for best film went to Pedro Almodovar’s The Room Next Door.

Venice 2025 winners

Competition

Golden Lion - Father Mother Sister Brother. dir. Jim Jarmusch

Special Jury Prize - Below The Clouds, dir. Gianfranco Rosi

Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize - The Voice of Hind Rajab, dir. Kaouther Ben Hania

Silver Lion for best director - Benny Safdie for The Smashing Machine

Volpi Cup for best actress - Xin Zhilei for The Sun Rises On Us All

Volpi Cup for best actor - Toni Servillo for La Grazia

Golden Osella for best screenplay - Valerie Donzelli, Gilles Marchand for At Work

Marcello Mastroianni award for emerging actor/actress - Luna Wedler for Silent Friend

Horizons

Best film - On The Road, dir. David Pablos

Best director - Anuparna Roy for Songs Of Forgotten Trees

Special jury prize - Lost Land, dir. Akio Fujimoto

Best actress - Benedetta Porcaroli, The Kidnapping Of Arabella

Best actor - Giacomo Covi, A Year of School

Best screenplay - Ana Cristina Barragan for The Ivy

Best short film - Without Kelly, dir. Lovisa Siren

Luigi De Laurentis award for debut film

Short Summer, dir. Nastia Korkia

Venice Classics

Best documentary on cinema - Mata Hari, dir. Joe Beshenkovsky, James A. Smith

Best restored film - Bashu, The Little Stranger, dir. Bahram Beyzaie

Venice Immersive

Grand Prize - The Clouds Are Two Thousand Meters Up, cre. Singing Chen

Special Jury Prize - Less Than 5gr of Saffron, cre. Negar Motevalymeidanshah

Achievement Prize - A Long Goodbye, cre. Kate Voet, Victor Maes

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