The 81st Venice Film Festival concluded on a bittersweet note, with Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar’s ‘The Room Next Door’ clinching the prestigious Golden Lion award. This marks Almodóvar’s first English-language feature and explores the controversial theme of assisted suicide. The director used his acceptance speech to advocate for the right to die with dignity, stating, ‘I believe that a clean and dignified departure from this world is a fundamental right of every human being. It is not a political question, but a human one’.In a poignant turn of events, Nicole Kidman, 57, was awarded the Volpi Cup for Best Actress for her role in ‘Babygirl’. However, the actress was unable to attend the ceremony due to the sudden passing of her mother, Janelle Ann Kidman. In a heartfelt message delivered by her director, Halina Reijn, Kidman said, ‘I’m in shock and I need to go to my family, but this award is for her. She shaped me, she guided me, and she made me’.Other notable awards included the Silver Lion for Best Director, which went to Brady Corbet for his 215-minute post-war epic ‘The Brutalist’. Vincent Lindon took home the Best Actor prize for his performance in ‘The Quiet Son’. The festival also saw the premiere of high-profile films such as Kevin Costner’s ‘Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 2’, which played out of competition.Despite the somber note struck by Kidman’s absence, the festival was largely seen as a success, with jury president Isabelle Huppert declaring, ‘Cinema is in great shape’. The event marked a return to form after last year’s strike-affected proceedings, with a strong showing of A-list talent on the Lido.
Key points
- Pedro Almodóvar’s ‘The Room Next Door’ won the Golden Lion at the 81st Venice Film Festival.
- Nicole Kidman won Best Actress for ‘Babygirl’ but missed the ceremony due to her mother’s death.
- The festival showcased a diverse range of films, from Almodóvar’s exploration of euthanasia to post-war epics.
