Thanks to a number of standouts, such as Wild Horse Nine, Bunker, Primetime, Ink, Naza, Woman Unknown, Possible Love, and Musk, the 83rd Venice Film Festival ends with one of its strongest sets of awards hopefuls since 2023, when Poor Things stormed the Lido.
Unlike the last two years, where conversations started with a tremulous, “Have you seen anything you’ve liked?,” this year’s festival icebreaker was a breathless, “Have you seen…?”
There was so much to catch that the buzz coming from the Italian journalists at the closing ceremonies was that jury president Maggie Gyllenhaal and her panel were handing out some serious surprises. Though no one would divulge what they were, they hinted only with titles.
It turned out that May el-Toukhy’s Woman Unknown received the Golden Lion for Best Film. Possibly even more surprising was the Volpi Cup for Best Actress, which went to Mathilde Arcel for the same film. Arcel readily admitted it was her first lead role in a feature, her first time at a film festival, and her first time winning a film award. The cup — which looks like something given out in the Winner’s Circle at one of the Triple Crown races — was clearly hefty, as Arcel had to put it down to give her acceptance speech.
The films rumored by those journalists to be potential Golden Lion contenders, Dau and Naza, did not go home empty-handed either. Dau’s director, Ilya Khrzhanovsky, took the Silver Lion for Best Director, while Naza received the Special Jury Prize.
The Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize (essentially the Best Picture runner-up) went to Possible Love, South Korean filmmaker Lee Chang-dong’s social and economic examination of class and the nature of work in our lives and relationships.
John Malkovich won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor, making him an early front-runner for the Oscar in that category. Malkovich, who is now atop the Gold Derby experts-only leaderboard, accepted his award via video as he was shooting in Montreal.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
51.
January 9th 2020 – Celebrities donate time and money to Australia bushfire relief efforts. Actor Russell Crowe donated $105,000 to the NSW Rural Fire Service in November 2019 to assist in the bushfire relief effort. – File Photo by: zz/DP/AAD/STAR MAX/IPx 2016 5/15/16 Russell Crowe at “The Nice Guys” photocall during the 69th Cannes Film Festival in France.
zz/DP/AAD/STAR MAX/IPx
52.
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 16: Son Suk-ku attends the Burberry show during London Fashion Week September 2024 at the National Theatre on September 16, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by John Phillips/Getty Images)
John Phillips/Getty Images
53.
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 27: Presenter Jacob Elordi poses in the press room during the 94th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland on March 27, 2022 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
Mike Coppola/Getty Images
54.
Miles Teller
Richard Shotwell/Variety
55.
MADRID, SPAIN – FEBRUARY 04: Miguel Bernardeau attends the premiere of “La Fiera” at Cine Capitol on February 04, 2026 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Juan Naharro Gimenez/Getty Images for Disney)
Juan Naharro Gimenez/Getty Images
56.
Alexander Skarsgard
YLJ/PKI/Newscom/The Mega Agency
57.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JULY 31: Austin Abrams attends the Los Angeles Premiere of Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema’s “Weapons” at The United Theater on Broadway on July 31, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
58.
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 27: Presenter Jacob Elordi poses in the press room during the 94th Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland on March 27, 2022 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
Mike Coppola/Getty Images
59.
Willem Dafoe
Michael Buckner for Variety
60.
Andrew Garfield
Stewart Cook/WWD
61.
Josh Brolin
Michael Buckner/Deadline
62.
Alden Ehrenreich
Frédéric Dugit/PHOTOPQR/LE PARISIEN/MAXPPP/Newscom/The Mega Agency
63.
CANNES, FRANCE – MAY 20: Dmitriy Mazurov poses during the “Minotaur” photocall at the 79th annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 20, 2026 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Aurore Marechal/Getty Images)
Aurore Marechal/Getty Images
64.
CANNES, FRANCE – MAY 17: Jordan Firstman attends the 2026 Kering Women in Motion Awards during the 79th annual Cannes Film Festival at Place de la Castre on May 17, 2026 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
Amy Sussman/Getty Images
65.
Andrew Scott
Michael Buckner / Variety
Many the results were tipped off by who did — and didn’t — turn up on the red carpet for the closing ceremonies. The absence of Martin McDonagh and Sam Rockwell for Wild Horse Nine, as well as no appearance from the team behind the well-received Bunker (Florian Zeller, Javier Bardem, or Penélope Cruz), signaled that they already knew they weren’t receiving anything.
But Venice doesn’t have the final say when it comes to the ultimate prizes. Adrien Brody wasn’t the Volpi Cup Best Actor recipient in 2024 for The Brutalist (that went to Vincent Lindon for The Quiet Son), yet he went on to win Best Actor at the Oscars.
So, keep your chin up, Robert Pattinson. Your lead role in Primetime still has a lot going for it as it enters awards season, one factor having little to do with the film itself: it’s directed by Lance Oppenheim, who is currently red-hot following his co-directing role in the breakout documentary You Can See Everything, centering on disgraced entrepreneur Elizabeth Holmes.
Even though Venice is over, awards season has just begun, and Alberto Barbera and his team must be breathing a sigh of relief. Venice is once again a major springboard to the Oscars.
