The 69th 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 h ...

, organized by

Venice Biennale The Venice Biennale (; it, La Biennale di Venezia) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy by the Biennale Foundation. The biennale has been organised every year since 1895, which makes it the oldest of ...

, took place at

Venice Lido The Lido, or Venice Lido ( it, Lido di Venezia), is an barrier island in the Venetian Lagoon, northern Italy; it is home to about 20,400 residents. The Venice Film Festival takes place at the Lido late August/early September. Geography T ...

from 29 August to 8 September 2012. The festival opened with the Indian director

Mira Nair Mira Nair (born 15 October 1957) is an Indian-American filmmaker based in New York City. Her production company, Mirabai Films, specializes in films for international audiences on Indian society, whether in the economic, social or cultural spher ...

's '' The Reluctant Fundamentalist'', and closed with the Out of Competition film ''

The Man Who Laughs ''The Man Who Laughs'' (also published under the title ''By Order of the King'' from its subtitle in French) is a novel by Victor Hugo, originally published in April 1869 under the French title ''L'Homme qui rit''. It takes place in England beg ...

'', directed by Jean-Pierre Ameris.

Terrence Malick Terrence Frederick Malick (born November 30, 1943) is an American filmmaker. His films include ''Days of Heaven'' (1978), '' The Thin Red Line'' (1998), for which he received Academy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay ...

's film '' To the Wonder'' was met with both boos and cheers from critics at its premiere. 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 distinguis ...

for Best Film was won by ''

Pietà The Pietà (; meaning " pity", "compassion") is a subject in Christian art depicting the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus after his body was removed from the cross. It is most often found in sculpture. The Pietà is a specific for ...

'', directed by

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

n filmmaker

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 ...

. Paul Thomas Anderson for '' The Master'' won the Silver Lion for Best Director. Additionally, American actors

Joaquin Phoenix Joaquin Rafael Phoenix (; né Bottom; born October 28, 1974) is an American actor. He is known for playing dark and unconventional characters in independent films. He has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academ ...

and

Philip Seymour Hoffman Philip Seymour Hoffman (July 23, 1967 – February 2, 2014) was an American actor. Known for his distinctive supporting and character roles—typically lowlifes, eccentrics, underdogs, and misfits—he acted in many films and theatrical produc ...

shared the prize for Best Actor for that film. Israeli actress Hadas Yaron for her performance in ''

Fill the Void ''Fill the Void'' ( he, למלא את החלל - lemale et ha'ḥalal) is a 2012 Israeli drama film written and directed by Rama Burshtein. It focuses on life among the Haredi Jewish community in Tel Aviv, Israel. Hadas Yaron stars as Shira M ...

'' was selected as the Best Actress in the festival.

Jury

The international juries of the 69th Venice International Film Festival included: Main competition (Venezia 69) *

Michael Mann Michael Kenneth Mann (born February 5, 1943) is an American director, screenwriter, and producer of film and television who is best known for his distinctive style of crime drama. His most acclaimed works include the films '' Thief'' (1981) ...

, American director (Jury President) *

Marina Abramović Marina Abramović ( sr-Cyrl, Марина Абрамовић, ; born November 30, 1946) is a Serbian conceptual and performance artist. Her work explores body art, endurance art, feminist art, the relationship between the performer and audi ...

, Serbian performance artist * Laetitia Casta, French actress *

Peter Ho-sun Chan Peter Ho-sun Chan (born 28 November 1962) is a film director and producer. Early life Chan was born in British Hong Kong to parents China. He and his family moved to Thailand when he was 12, where he grew up amongst the international Chines ...

, Hong Kong director * Ari Folman, Israeli director *

Matteo Garrone Matteo Garrone (born 15 October 1968) is an Italian filmmaker. Born in Rome, the son of a theatre critic, Nico Garrone and a photographer, in 1996 Garrone won the ''Sacher d'Oro'', an award sponsored by Nanni Moretti, with the short film ''Silho ...

, Italian director *

Ursula Meier Ursula Meier (born 24 June 1971) is a French- Swiss film director and screenwriter. Career A native of Besançon, the capital of the Franche-Comté region in eastern France, near the Swiss border, Ursula Meier graduated from Belgium's Instit ...

, French-Swiss director *

Samantha Morton Samantha Jane Morton (born 13 May 1977) is an English actress and director. Known for her work in independent cinema, she is the recipient of numerous accolades, including a BAFTA Award and a Golden Globe Award, as well as nominations for two ...

, English actress and director * Pablo Trapero, Argentine director Horizons (Orizzonti) *

Pierfrancesco Favino Pierfrancesco Favino (; August 24, 1969) is an Italian actor, voice actor and producer. He has appeared in more than fifty European and American movies and television series since the early 1990s, including '' The Prince of Homburg'' (1997), '' T ...

, Italian actor (President) * Sandra den Hamer, Dutch director of the Rotterdam Festival * Runa Islam, Bangladeshi-born British visual artist and filmmaker *

Jason Kliot Jason Kliot (born 1963) is an American independent film producer based in New York. Kliot emerged with the American indie wave of the 1990s, producing alongside his wife and business partner Joana Vicente. In 1995 Kliot and Vicente associate p ...

, American independent film producer * Nadine Labaki, Lebanese actress and director * Milcho Manchevski, Macedonian film director *

Amir Naderi Amir Naderi ( fa, امیر نادری (), born 15 August 1946, in Abadan) is an Iranian film director, screenwriter, and photographer. He is best known for '' The Runner'' and ''Vegas: Based on a True Story''. Career Amir Naderi grew up in Abada ...

, Iranian film director, screenwriter and photographer Opera Prima (Venice Award for a Debut Film) *

Shekhar Kapur Shekhar Kulbhushan Kapur (born 6 December 1945) is an Indian filmmaker and actor. Born into the Anand-Sahni family, Kapur is the recipient of several accolades, including a BAFTA Award, a National Film Award, a National Board of Review Award a ...

, Indian film director, actor and producer (President) * Michel Demopoulos, Greek film critic *

Isabella Ferrari Isabella Ferrari (born 31 March 1964), better known by her stage name of Isabella Fogliazza, is an Italian actress of television, theatre and the cinema. She is best known as the protagonist, ''Commissioner Giovanna Scalise'' in the police dram ...

, Italian television, theatre and cinema actress *

Matt Reeves Matt Reeves (born April 27, 1966) is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He first gained recognition for the WB drama series '' Felicity'' (1998–2002), which he co-created with J. J. Abrams. Reeves came to widespread attentio ...

, American screenwriter, director and producer *

Bob Sinclar Christophe Le Friant (; born 10 May 1969), better known by his stage name Bob Sinclar (), is a French record producer, DJ and remixer. He is the owner of the record label Yellow Productions. Musical career A native of Paris, Le Friant began DJ ...

, French record producer, DJ, and

Yellow Productions Yellow Productions is an independent record label specializing in electronic music. Based in Paris, France, it was founded in 1993 by DJ Yellow and Christophe Le Friant (more famous under Bob Sinclar alias). The label's roster represents Bob Sincl ...

owner

Official selection

In Competition

The following eighteen films were selected for the main competition:

Out of Competition

The following films were selected for the out of competition section:

Horizons

The following films were selected for the ''Horizons (Orizzonti)'' section: :Highlighted title indicates the Orizzonti Award for Best Feature Film winner.

Venice Classics

The following selection of restored classic films and documentaries on cinema were screened for this section:

«80!»

The following rare films from the Biennale's Historical Archives were screened for this retrospective section:

Special Screenings

The following films of the Official Selection were presented as Special Screenings:

Autonomous sections

Venice International Film Critics' Week

The following films were selected for the Critics' Week:

Venice Days

The following films were selected for the Venice Days section:

Awards

Official selection

The following Official Awards were conferred at the 69th edition: In Competition (Venezia 69) *

: ''

'' by

* Silver Lion for Best Director:

Paul Thomas Anderson Paul Thomas Anderson (born June 26, 1970), also known by his initials PTA, is an American filmmaker. He made his feature-film debut with '' Hard Eight'' (1996). He found critical and commercial success with ''Boogie Nights'' (1997) and received ...

for '' The Master'' * Special Jury Prize: '' Paradise: Faith'' by

Ulrich Seidl Ulrich Maria Seidl (born 24 November 1952 in Vienna) is an Austrian film director, writer and producer. Among other awards, his film '' Dog Days'' won the Grand Jury Prize at Venice in 2001. His 2012 film '' Paradise: Love'' competed for the Palm ...

Volpi Cup for Best Actor The Volpi Cup for Best Actor ( it, Coppa Volpi per la migliore interpretazione maschile) is the principal award given to actors at the Venice Film Festival and is named in honor of Count Giuseppe Volpi di Misurata, the founder of the Venice Film ...

and

for '' The Master'' *

Volpi Cup for Best Actress The Volpi Cup for Best Actress is an award presented by the Venice Film Festival. It is given by the festival jury in honor of an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance from the films in the competition slate. It is named in honor o ...

: Hadas Yaron for ''

'' *

Marcello Mastroianni Award The Marcello Mastroianni Award (Italian: ''Premio Marcello Mastroianni'') is one of the awards given out at the Venice International Film Festival. It was established in 1998 in honor of the Italian actor Marcello Mastroianni, who died at the en ...

(for the best emerging actor or actress): Fabrizio Falco for ''

Dormant Beauty ''Dormant Beauty'' ( it, Bella addormentata) is a 2012 Italian drama film directed by Marco Bellocchio and starring Toni Servillo and Isabelle Huppert. The film was selected to compete for the Golden Lion at the 69th Venice International Film ...

'' and '' It Was the Son'' * Award for Best Screenplay:

Olivier Assayas Olivier Assayas (born 25 January 1955) is a French film director, screenwriter and film critic. Assayas is known for his slow-burning period pieces, psychological thrillers, neo-noirs and French comedies. His work has become synonymous with th ...

for '' Something in the Air'' (''Après mai'') * Award for Best Cinematography: Daniele Cipri for '' It Was the Son'' (''È stato il figlio'') Horizons (Orizzonti) * Best Film: '' Three Sisters'' (''San zimei'') by Wang Bing * Special Jury Prize: ''

Tango libre ''Tango libre'' is a 2012 comedy film directed by Frédéric Fonteyne. In January 2014 the film received ten nominations at the 4th Magritte Awards. The film centers on complicated personal relations between some prisoners in a French prison, t ...

'' by

Frédéric Fonteyne Frédéric Fonteyne (; born 9 January 1968) is a Belgian film director. He studied film at the Institut des arts de diffusion in Louvain-la-Neuve. His 2020 film '' Working Girls'' was selected as the Belgian entry for the Best International Feat ...

* Horizons YouTube Award for Best Short Film: ''Invitation'' (''Cho-De'') by Min-Young Yoo * European Film Awards (short film): ''Out Of Frame'' (''Titloi telous'') by Yorgos Zois Special Awards * Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement:

Francesco Rosi Francesco Rosi (; 15 November 1922 – 10 January 2015) was an Italian film director. His film ''The Mattei Affair'' won the Palme d'Or at the 1972 Cannes Film Festival. Rosi's films, especially those of the 1960s and 1970s, often appeared to hav ...

* Persol Tribute to Visionary Talent Award:

Michael Cimino Michael Antonio Cimino ( ; February 3, 1939 – July 2, 2016) was an American filmmaker. One of the " New Hollywood" directors, Cimino achieved fame with ''The Deer Hunter'' (1978), which won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Bes ...

* Jaeger-LeCoultre Glory to the Filmmaker Award:

Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, has produced more than 35 films since 1983. He made his directorial debut ...

* L’Oréal Paris per il Cinema Award:

Giulia Bevilacqua Giulia Bevilacqua (born 19 May 1979) is an Italian film, stage and television actress. Life and career Born in Rome, the younger daughter of two architects, Bevilacqua studied at the Accademia Filarmonica as a chorister, and then attended at ...

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 Laurentis" Award for a Debut Film: ''Mold'' (''Küf'') by Ali Aydın * "RaroVideo" Audience Award: '' Eat Sleep Die'' (''Äta sova dö'') by Gabriela Pichler * Arca CinemaGiovani Award for Best Italian film: '' The Ideal City'' (''La città ideale'') by Luigi Lo Cascio Venice Days (Giornati degli Autori) * Label Europa Cinemas Award: ''Crawl'' by Hervé Lasgouttes * Lina Mangiacapre Award: ''

Queen of Montreuil ''Queen of Montreuil'' is a 2012 French comedy-drama film directed by Sólveig Anspach and starring Florence Loiret Caille. Cast * Florence Loiret Caille as Agathe * Didda Jónsdóttir as Anna * Úlfur Ægisson as Úlfur * Éric Caruso as ...

'' by

Sólveig Anspach Sólveig Anspach (8 December 1960 – 7 August 2015) was an Icelandic-French film director and screenwriter. Born to a German-Romanian father Gerhard Anspach and an Icelandic mother Högna Sigurðardóttir, she spent most of her life livin ...

* Premio Cinematografico “Civitas Vitae prossima” Award: '' Terramatta'' by Costanza Quatriglio

Other collateral awards

The following collateral awards were conferred to films of the official selection: * FIPRESCI Awards **Best Film (Main competition): '' The Master'' by

**Best Film (Horizons): ''The Interval'' (''L'intervallo'') by Leonardo Di Costanzo (Horizons) * SIGNIS Award: '' To the Wonder'' by

::Special mention: ''

'' (''Lemale et ha'halal'') by Rama Burshtein * Francesco Pasinetti (SNGCI) Award **Best Film: ''The Interval'' by Leonardo Di Costanzo (Horizons) **Best Documentary: ''The Human Cargo'' (''La nave dolce'') by

Daniele Vicari Daniele Vicari (born 26 February 1967) is an Italian director, screenwriter and producer. Life and career Born in Collegiove, Province of Rieti, Vicari graduated from Rome's University La Sapienza in History and Critics of Cinema under Guido ...

(Out of Competition) **Best Actor:

Valerio Mastandrea Valerio Mastandrea (born 14 February 1972) is an Italian film, stage and television actor. Life and career He was born in Rome. While being a student of philosophy, in the early 1990s Mastandrea enjoyed some success thanks to the semi-regular pa ...

for ''

Balancing Act ''Balancing Act'' ( it, Gli equilibristi, french: Les equilibristes) is a 2012 Italian-French drama film directed by Ivano De Matteo. It premiered at the 69th Venice International Film Festival, in which Valerio Mastandrea won the Pasinetti Award. ...

'' (''Gli equilibristi'') (Horizons) **Pasinetti Speciale: ''Clarisse'' by

Liliana Cavani Liliana Cavani (born 12 January 1933, Carpi, Italy) is an Italian film director and screenwriter. She belongs to a generation of Italian filmmakers from Emilia-Romagna that came into prominence in the 1970s, including Bernardo Bertolucci, Pier P ...

(Out of Competition) * Leoncino d'Oro Agiscuola Award: '' Pieta'' (''È stato il figlio'') by

::Cinema for UNICEF mention: '' It Was the Son'' (''È stato il figlio'') by

Daniele Ciprì Daniele Ciprì (born 17 August 1962) is an Italian film director and cinematographer. He is best known for his collaborations with Franco Maresco Franco may refer to: Name * Franco (name) * Francisco Franco (1892–1975), Spanish general and ...

*Brian Award: ''

'' (''Bella Addormentata'') by

Marco Bellocchio Marco Bellocchio (; born 9 November 1939) is an Italian film director, screenwriter, and actor. Life and career Born in Bobbio, near Piacenza, Marco Bellocchio had a strict Catholic upbringing – his father was a lawyer, his mother a schoolt ...

*Queer Lion Award (Associazione Cinemarte): ''

The Weight "The Weight" is a song by the Canadian-American group the Band that was released as a single in 1968 and on the group's debut album '' Music from Big Pink''. It was their first release under this name, after their previous releases as Canadian ...

'' (''Muge'') by

Jeon Kyu-hwan Jeon Kyu-hwan (born 1965) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. Besides being the first Korean film to win the 2012 Queer Lion at the 69th Venice International Film Festival, ''The Weight'' (2012) also won various awards at film f ...

* Arca CinemaGiovani Award - Venezia 69: '' The Fifth Season'' (''La Cinquième saison'') by Peter Brosens and Jessica Woodworth * Biografilm Lancia Award (ex-aequo): ''The Human Cargo'' (''La nave dolce'') by Daniele Vicari & ''Bad25'' by Spike Lee (Out of competition) * Bisato d'Oro Award: **Best Film: ''Bellas Mariposas'' by Salvatore Mereu **Best Director: Jazmín López for ''Lions'' (''Leones'') **Best Actress:

Nora Aunor Nora Cabaltera Villamayor (born May 21, 1953), professionally known as Nora Aunor (), is a Filipino actress, recording artist, and film producer. Aunor has also appeared in several stage plays, television shows and concerts. She is known as P ...

for ''Thy Womb'' * CICT - UNESCO "Enrico Fulchignoni" Award: ''The Interval'' by Leonardo Di Costanzo (Horizons) * CICAE - Cinema d’Arte e d’Essai Award: ''Wadjda'' by Haifaa Al Mansour (Horizons) * CinemAvvenire Award: **Best film - Venezia 69: ''Paradies: Glaube'' by Ulrich Seidl **Best film - Il cerchio non è rotondo: ''Wadjda'' by Haifaa Al Mansour (Horizons) * FEDIC Award: '' ''The Interval'' by Leonardo Di Costanzo (Horizons) ::Special mention: ''Bellas Mariposas'' by Salvatore Mereu * Fondazione Mimmo Rotella Award: '' Something in the Air'' (''Après ai'') by

* Future Film Festival Digital Award: ''Bad25'' by Spike Lee (Out of competition) ::Special mention: '' Spring Breakers'' by Harmony Korine * P. Nazareno Taddei Award: ''Pieta'' by Kim Ki-duk ::Special mention: ''

Thy Womb ''Thy Womb'' ( fil, Sinapupunan) is a 2012 Filipino drama film starring Nora Aunor, Bembol Roco, Mercedes Cabral, and Lovi Poe. Produced by Center Stage Productions and the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), Melvin Mangada and ...

'' (''Sinapupunan'') by Brillante Mendoza * Lanterna Magica (CGS) Award: ''The Interval'' by Leonardo Di Costanzo (Horizons) * Open Award: ''The Company You Keep'' by Robert Redford (Out of competition) * La Navicella – Venezia Cinema Award: ''Thy Womb'' by Brillante Mendoza * AIF - FORFILMFEST Award: ''The Interval'' by Leonardo Di Costanzo (Horizons) * Golden Mouse: ''Pieta'' by Kim Ki-duk * Silver Mouse: ''Anton's Right Here'' (''Anton tut ryadom'') by Lyubov Arkus (Out of competition) * UK - Italy Creative Industries Award – Best Innovative Budget Award: ''The Interval'' by Leonardo Di Costanzo (Horizons) * Gillo Pontecorvo - Arcobaleno Latino Award: Laura Delli Colli * Christopher D. Smithers Foundation Award: ''Low Tide'' by Roberto Minervini (Horizons) * Interfilm Award for Promoting Interreligious Dialogue: ''Wadjda'' by Haifaa Al Mansour (Horizons) * Giovani Giurati del Vittorio Veneto Film Festival Award: ''The Company You Keep'' by Robert Redford (Out of competition) ::Special mention:

Toni Servillo Marco Antonio Servillo (), known as Toni Servillo, is an Italian actor and theatrical director. He has won the European Film Award for Best Actor twice, in 2008 for both '' Gomorrah'' and ''Il Divo'' and in 2013 for ''The Great Beauty'', as well ...

for his role in '' It Was the Son'' * Green Drop Award: ''The Fifth Season'' by Peter Brosens and Jessica Woodworth

Controversy over Golden Lion

The jury led by filmmaker

originally was to award the top

prize to

's '' The Master'', along with the Silver Lion Best Director award and the Best Actor award. However, because of festival's new rule prohibiting pairing the Golden Lion with any other prizes, the jury was asked "to re-deliberate to remove" one of the awards for ''The Master'', and the Golden Lion was awarded to

's ''

'' instead. On the other hand, the jury was planned to award the Coppa Volpi for the Best Actress prize to

Jo Min-su Jo Min-su (; born January 29, 1965) is a South Korean actress. She is best known for her role in the Kim Ki-duk film ''Pietà''. Career Jo Min-su graduated from a vocational high school, Gyungbok Girls' Commercial High School, and first entered ...

, who acted Jang Mi-sun in ''

''. However, because of the festival's new rule, the jury couldn't award a prize to Jo Min-su. In the official reception which was held after the festival was over, many juries, such as

and

Peter Chan Peter Ho-sun Chan (born 28 November 1962) is a film director and producer. Early life Chan was born in British Hong Kong to parents China. He and his family moved to Thailand when he was 12, where he grew up amongst the international Chine ...

met Jo, saying that "Jo's acting was touching that changed my life. I shed tears of Jo's play."

References

External links

*
Venice Film Festival 2012 Awards
on IMDb {{Venice Film Festival Venice Film Festival

Venice 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 h ...

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 atmospher ...

August 2012 events in Italy September 2012 events in Italy