The 61st annual

Venice International Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival he ...

was held between 1 and 11 September 2004. The festival opened with

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...

's '' The Terminal'', and closed with

Katsuhiro Otomo is a Japanese manga artist, screenwriter, animator and film director. He is best known as the creator of '' Akira'', in terms of both the original 1982 manga series and the 1988 animated film adaptation. He was decorated a ''Chevalier'' of th ...

's ''

Steamboy is a 2004 Japanese animated steampunk action film produced by Sunrise, directed and co-written by Katsuhiro Otomo, his second major anime release as a director, following '' Akira'' (1988). The film was released in Japan by Toho on July 17, 20 ...

''. The

Golden Lion The Golden Lion ( it, Leone d'oro) is the highest prize given to a film at the Venice Film Festival. The prize was introduced in 1949 by the organizing committee and is now regarded as one of the film industry's most prestigious and distinguishe ...

was awarded to the film '' Vera Drake'', directed by Mike Leigh. On this edition of the festival, a new independent section, Venice Days (''Giornate degli autori''), has started "for free cinema, new talents and new stories". This section is organized by the ANAC (National Association of Cinematographic Authors) and the API (Independent Authors & Producers). Also in this edition, ''The Secret History of Italian Cinema'' was launched, a new section of the official selection, with the aim of restoring and systematically rediscovering sides of the Italian cinema that have been "forgotten, invisible, unknown or misunderstood". The retrospective was planned for four years, which was extended by a two-year retrospective called '' These Phantoms: Italian Cinema Rediscovered'', followed by one edition of '' Italian Comedy Retrospective''. The Fondazione Prada was the private sector partner of this series.

Juries

The following people comprised the 2004 juries: Main Competition (''Venezia 61'') *

John Boorman Sir John Boorman (; born 18 January 1933) is a British film director, best known for feature films such as ''Point Blank'' (1967), ''Hell in the Pacific'' (1968), ''Deliverance'' (1972), ''Zardoz'' (1974), '' Exorcist II: The Heretic'' (1977), ...

(UK) Jury President * Wolfgang Becker (Germany) * Mimmo Calopresti (Italy) * Scarlett Johansson (USA) * Spike Lee (USA) *

Dusan Makavejev Dusan may refer to: * Dušan, a Slavic given name * Dusan, a son of Ra's al Ghul * Stefan Dušan (1308–1355), emperor of Serbia See also *Doosan Group Doosan Group () is a South Korean multinational conglomerate corporation. In 2009, the corp ...

(Serbia and Montenegro) *

Helen Mirren Dame Helen Mirren (born Helen Lydia Mironoff; born 26 July 1945) is an English actor. The recipient of numerous accolades, she is the only performer to have achieved the Triple Crown of Acting in both the United States and the United Kingdom. ...

(UK) * Pietro Scalia (Italy) * Hsu Feng (Taiwan) Horizons (''Orizzonti'') * Nicolas Philibert (France) President * Brian Helgeland (USA) *

Fiorella Infascelli Fiorella Infascelli (born 29 October 1952) is an Italian film director and screenwriter. Life and career Born in Rome, Infascelli is the daughter of the producer and director Carlo. After working as an assistant director for notable director ...

(Italy) Venezia Cinema Digitale * Mike Figgis (UK) President * Shozo Ichiyama (Japan) * Claire Simon (Morocco-France)

Official selection

In competition

The main competitive section of the official selection is an international competition of feature films running for the

. :Highlighted title indicates the Golden Lion winner. † indicates films that competed for the Lion of the Future.

Out of competition

The following films of the official selection were screened as "out of competition":

Horizons

A section aiming to provide a picture of the new trends in cinema. :Highlighted title indicates the Horizons Awards for Best Film. † indicates films that competed for the Lion of the Future.

Short film competition

The following films, whose length does not exceed 30 minutes, were selected for the short film competition (Corto Cortissimo): :Highlighted title indicates Lion for Best Short Film winner.

Venetian Nights

The following films were screened for the Venetian Nights section (Venezia Mezzanotte): : † indicates films that competed for the Lion of the Future.

Venice Digital Cinema

A section intended to provide an overview of the new expressive possibilities granted by digital technologies. : † indicates films that competed for the Lion of the Future.

The Secret History of Italian Cinema 1

A new retrospective section on Italian Cinema aiming to restore and systematically rediscover sides of the Italian cinema That Have Been "Forgotten, Invisible, Unknown Or Misunderstood". This first edition of the retrospective is titled ''Italian Kings of the B's''.

Autonomous sections

Venice International Film Critics' Week

The following feature films were selected to be screened as ''In Competition'' for this section: : † indicates films that competed for the Lion of the Future.

Venice Days

The following films were selected for the 1st edition of Venice Days (Giornate Degli Autori) autonomous section:

Awards

Official selection

The following Official Awards were conferred at the 61st edition: *

: '' Vera Drake'' by Mike Leigh * Silver Lion for Best Director: ''

3-Iron ''3-Iron'' (; lit. "Empty House") is a 2004 romantic drama film written, produced and directed by Kim Ki-duk. An international co-production between South Korea and Japan, the film stars Jae Hee as a young drifter who develops a relationship wi ...

'' by

Kim Ki-duk Kim Ki-duk ( ; 20 December 196011 December 2020) was a South Korean film director and screenwriter, noted for his idiosyncratic art-house cinematic works. His films have received many distinctions in the festival circuit, rendering him one of ...

Grand Jury Prize A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending upon ...

: ''

The Sea Inside ''The Sea Inside'' ( es, Mar adentro) is a 2004 Spain, Spanish psychological drama film co-written and directed by Alejandro Amenábar, who also co-produced, scored and edited. It is based on the real-life story of Ramón Sampedro (played by Javie ...

'' (''Mar adentro'') by Alejandro Amenábar * Volpi Cup for Best Actor: Javier Bardem for ''The Sea Inside'' * Volpi Cup for Best Actress:

Imelda Staunton Imelda Mary Philomena Bernadette Staunton (born 9 January 1956) is an English actress and singer. After training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Staunton began her career in repertory theatre in 1976 and appeared in various theatre produ ...

for '' Vera Drake'' *

Marcello Mastroianni Award The Marcello Mastroianni Award (Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian la ...

(for the best emerging actor or actress): Tommaso Ramenghi and Marco Luisi for ''

Lavorare con lentezza ''Lavorare con lentezza'' (internationally released as ''Working Slowly (Radio Alice)'') is a 2004 Italian drama film directed by Guido Chiesa. It is based on actual events involving Radio Alice, a 1970s pirate radio which was politically aligned w ...

'' * Golden Osella: Studio Ghibli for ''

Howl's Moving Castle ''Howl's Moving Castle'' is a fantasy novel by British author Diana Wynne Jones, first published in 1986 by Greenwillow Books of New York. It was a runner-up for the annual Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, and won the Phoenix Award twenty years ...

'' (''Hauru no ugoku shiro'') Special Awards * Special Lion for Overall Work:

Manoel de Oliveira Manoel Cândido Pinto de Oliveira (; 11 December 1908 – 2 April 2015) was a Portuguese film director and screenwriter born in Cedofeita, Porto. He first began making films in 1927, when he and some friends attempted to make a film about Wo ...

and Stanley Donen Horizons awards (Premi Orizzonti) * Best Film: ''Les petits fils'' by Ilan Duran Cohen ::Special mention: ''Vento di terra'' by Vincenzo Marra Digital Cinema Award * ''

20 Fingers 20 Fingers is the name of an American production team consisting of producers and DJs Carlos "Charlie Babie" Rosario, Manfred "Manny" Mohr, J.J. Flores and Onofrio Lollino. They were popular in the mid-1990s for producing a series of pop, dan ...

'' (''20 angosht'') by

Mania Akbari Mania Akbari ( fa, مانيا اکبری, born 22 September 1974Gianni Zanasi Gianni Zanasi (born August 6, 1965) is an Italian film director. He has been a writer and has been an actor also in a few films. Biography Zanasi was born in Vignola. After studying philosophy at the University of Bologna, he enrolled in a ...

and

Lucio Pellegrini Lucio Pellegrini (born 20 October 1965) is an Italian director and screenwriter. Early life On 20 October 1965, Pellegrini was born in Asti, Italy. Career Pellegrini started his career in 1992 as a television writer, collaborating with RAI ...

Short Film awards (Corto Cortissimo Lion) * Citroen Short Super-Short Lion for Best Short Film: ''Signe d'appartenence'' by Kamel Cherif ::Special mention: ''The Carpenter and His Clumsy Wife'' by Peter Foot * UIP Prize for Best European Short Film: ''Goodbye'' by Steve Hudson

Autonomous sections

The following official and collateral awards were conferred to films of the autonomous sections: Venice International Film Critics' Week * Lion Of The Future : "Luigi de Laurentiis" Award For A Debut Film: ''

Le Grand Voyage ''Le Grand Voyage'' is a 2004 film written and directed by Ismaël Ferroukhi. The film portrays the relationship between father and son as both embark on a religious pilgrimage trip by car. The film won the Golden Astor for Best Film at the 2005 ...

'' by

Ismaël Ferroukhi Ismaël Ferroukhi (born 26 June 1962) is a French- Moroccan film director and screenwriter. Ferroukhi was born in Kenitra. He gained exposure with his 1992 short film ''L'Exposé'', which won the Kodak Prize at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival. Foll ...

and Humbert Balsan ::Special Mention: '' Saimir'' by

Francesco Munzi Francesco Munzi (born 1 September 1969 in Rome) is an Italian film director and writer. His first film '' Saimir'' won as Best debut film at Nastri d'argento , at the Venice International Film Festival and was nominated at the European Film Awa ...

Other collateral awards

The following collateral awards were conferred to films of the official selection: *FIPRESCI Prize: **Competition: '' Bin-jip'' (

) **Parallel Sections: ''

Vento di terra Vento may refer to: * Vento (surname), a Finnish and Italian surname * Vento (motorcycle manufacturer), an Italian motorcycle manufacturer * Volkswagen Vento (A3), a German compact sedan * Volkswagen Vento (A05), a German subcompact sedan * VinF ...

'' ( Vincenzo Marra) *SIGNIS Award: **'' Tout un hiver sans feu'' (

Greg Zglinski Greg is a masculine given name, and often a shortened form of the given name Gregory. Greg (more commonly spelled " Gregg") is also a surname. People with the name *Greg Abbott (disambiguation), multiple people *Greg Abel (born 1961/1962), Canadi ...

) **Honorable Mention: '' Bin-jip'' (

) *C.I.C.A.E. Award: **'' Gilles' Wife'' ( Frédéric Fonteyne) *UNICEF Award: **'' Dom durakov'' ( Andrei Konchalovsky) *UNESCO Award: **''

Land of Plenty ''Land of Plenty'' is a 2004 American drama film directed by Wim Wenders starring Michelle Williams and John Diehl. The title of the film comes from the song "The Land of Plenty" from the album '' Ten New Songs'', written by Leonard Cohen and ...

'' (

Wim Wenders Ernst Wilhelm "Wim" Wenders (; born 14 August 1945) is a German filmmaker, playwright, author, and photographer. He is a major figure in New German Cinema. Among many honors, he has received three nominations for the Academy Award for Best Docum ...

) *Pasinetti Award: **Best Film: ''

Le chiavi di casa ''The Keys to the House'' ( it, Le chiavi di casa) is an Italian 2004 dramatic family film based on the story ''Born Twice'' ( Italian title: ''Nati due volte'') telling the story of a young father meeting his handicapped son for the first time ...

'' ( Gianni Amelio) **Best Actor: ''

'' (

Kim Rossi Stuart Kim Rossi Stuart (born 31 October 1969) is an Italian actor and director. Early life and career Rossi Stuart was born in Rome. His father, Giacomo Rossi Stuart, Giacomo, was an actor of Italians, Italian and Scottish people, Scottish descent ( ...

) **Best Actress: ''

5x2 ''5x2'' (also ''Cinq fois deux''; en, Five Times Two) is a 2004 Cinema of France, French film directed by François Ozon, which uncovers the back story to the gradual disintegration of a middle class marriage by depicting five key moments in the ...

'' (

Valeria Bruni Tedeschi Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, also written Bruni-Tedeschi (; born 16 November 1964), is an Italian-French actress, screenwriter and film director. Her 2013 film, ''A Castle in Italy,'' was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. ...

) *Audience Award (Critics' Week): **''

To Take a Wife ''To Take a Wife'' (''VeLakahta Lekha Isha''; french: Prendre femme) is a 2004 drama film. It is the directorial debut of veteran actress Ronit Elkabetz, who also stars in the film. The French-Israeli production premiered at the 61st Venice Interna ...

'' (

Ronit Elkabetz Ronit Elkabetz ( he, רונית אלקבץ; 27 November 1964 – 19 April 2016) was an Israeli actress, screenwriter and film director. She worked in both Israeli and French cinema. She won three Ophir Awards and received a total of seven nomin ...

and Shlomi Elkabetz) *Isvema Award: **''

'' (

and Shlomi Elkabetz) *FEDIC Award: **'' Volevo solo dormirle addosso'' (

Eugenio Cappuccio Eugenio is an Italian and Spanish masculine given name deriving from the Greek ' Eugene'. The name is Eugénio in Portuguese and Eugênio in Brazilian Portuguese. The name's translated literal meaning is well born, or of noble status. Similar de ...

) *Little Golden Lion: **'' Bin-jip'' (

) *Label Europa Cinemas: **''

Darwin's Nightmare ''Darwin's Nightmare'' is a 2004 Austrian-French-Belgian documentary film written and directed by Hubert Sauper, dealing with the environmental and social effects of the fishing industry around Lake Victoria in Tanzania. It premiered at the 2004 V ...

'' (

Hubert Sauper Hubert Sauper (born 27 July 1966) is an Austrian documentary filmmaker, director, writer, producer, and actor best known for the highly controversial ''Darwin's Nightmare'' (2004) which was nominated for an Academy Award. Sauper has lived in the ...

) *Young Cinema Award: **Best Italian Film: '' Nemmeno il destino'' (

Daniele Gaglianone Daniele Gaglianone is an Italian director. Biography Born in Ancona, Gaglianone has lived in Turin since the age of six. From 1989 to 2000 he realized a few shorts and documentary films. In 1998 he works as scenarist for the film '' Così ri ...

) **Best Digital Film: ''

Un silenzio particolare The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizin ...

'' (

Stefano Rulli Stefano Rulli (; born 3 October 1949) is an Italian screenwriter. He is best known for his collaborations with fellow screenwriter Sandro Petraglia, including '' La piovra'' (1987–1995) and ''The Best of Youth ''The Best of Youth'' ( it, La me ...

) **Best International Film: ''

Mar adentro ''The Sea Inside'' ( es, Mar adentro) is a 2004 Spanish psychological drama film co-written and directed by Alejandro Amenábar, who also co-produced, scored and edited. It is based on the real-life story of Ramón Sampedro (played by Javier Barde ...

'' ( Alejandro Amenábar) *"Lino Miccichè" First Feature Award: **'' Nemmeno il destino'' (

) *Open Prize: **'' Sag-haye velgard'' ( Marzieh Makhmalbaf) *Lina Mangiacapre Award: **'' Melancholian 3 huonetta'' ( Pirjo Honkasalo) *Future Film Festival Digital Award: **''

Collateral Collateral may refer to: Business and finance * Collateral (finance), a borrower's pledge of specific property to a lender, to secure repayment of a loan * Marketing collateral, in marketing and sales Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Collate ...

'' ( Michael Mann) *Laterna Magica Prize: **'' Finding Neverland'' ( Marc Forster) *Sergio Trasatti Award: **''

'' ( Gianni Amelio) *CinemAvvenire Award: **Best Film: ''

'' ( Gianni Amelio) **Best First Film: '' Tout un hiver sans feu'' (

) **Cinema for Peace Award: '' Promised Land'' ( Amos Gitai) *Award of the City of Rome: **Best Film: ''

Un mundo menos peor ''A Less Bad World''A Less Bad World
on MUB ...

'' ( Alejandro Agresti) *International Peace Award: **Best Film: '' Jeruzalemski sindrom'' (

Jakov Sedlar Jakov Sedlar (born 6 November 1952) is a Croatian film director and producer. A former cultural attaché during the 1990s in the Franjo Tuđman government, his documentaries promote Croatian nationalist views through propaganda. His 2016 docu ...

) *Human Rights Film Network Award: **'' Melancholian 3 huonetta'' ( Pirjo Honkasalo) *EIUC Award: **'' Yesterday'' ( Darrell Roodt) **Special Mention: '' Melancholian 3 huonetta'' ( Pirjo Honkasalo) *Special Director's Award: **'' Bin-jip'' (

) *Special Pasinetti Award: **''

'' ( Vincenzo Marra) (For an innovative film)

References

External links

*
Venice Film Festival 2004 Awards
on IMDb {{Venice Film Festival Ven Venice Film Festival V V

Film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

September 2004 events in Europe