The 78th annual Venice International Film Festival was held from 1 to 11 September 2021, at Venice Lido in Italy. This edition marked the festival's return to its full format following the COVID-19 epidemic during the prior year.
South Korean director Bong Joon-ho was the Jury President of the main competition, marking the first time a South Korean director has been picked as the festival's top juror. Serena Rossi hosted the opening and closing nights. The Golden Lion was awarded to Happening by Audrey Diwan.
The festival opened with Parallel Mothers by Pedro Almodóvar, and closed with The Hidden Child by Roberto Andò.
Juries
Main Competition (Venezia 78) Bong Joon-ho, South Korean filmmaker - Jury President Saverio Costanzo, Italian filmmaker Virginie Efira, Belgian actress Cynthia Erivo, British actress and singer Sarah Gadon, Canadian actress Alexander Nanau, Romanian-German director Chloé Zhao, Chinese-American filmmaker
Orizzonti Jasmila Žbanić, Bosnian filmmaker and producer - Jury President Mona Fastvold, Norwegian filmmaker and actress Shahram Mokri, Iranian filmmaker Josh Siegel, director of the cinema department of MoMA Nadia Terranova, Italian novelist
Luigi De Laurentiis Award for a Debut Film Uberto Pasolini, Italian director and producer - Jury President Martin Schweighofer, Austrian film critic Amalia Ulman, Argentine visual artist
Venice VR Expanded Michelle Kranot, Israeli filmmaker - Jury President Maria Grazia Mattei, Italian art critic Jonathan Yeo, British artist
Official Sections
In Competition The following films were selected for the main competition:
English title Original title Director(s) Production country America Latina Damiano D'Innocenzo and Fabio D'Innocenzo Italy Another World Un autre monde Stéphane Brizé France The Box La caja Lorenzo Vigas Mexico, United States Captain Volkonogov Escaped Капитан Волконогов бежал Aleksey Chupov and Natalya Merkulova Russia The Card Counter Paul Schrader United StatesFreaks Out Gabriele Mainetti Italy, Belgium The Hand of God È stata la mano di Dio Paolo Sorrentino Italy Happening L'Événement Audrey Diwan France Il buco Michelangelo Frammartino Italy, France, Germany Leave No Traces Żeby nie było śladów Jan P. Matuszyński Poland, France, Czech Republic The Lost Daughter Maggie Gyllenhaal United States, Greece Lost Illusions Illusions perdues Xavier Giannoli France Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon Ana Lily Amirpour United States Official Competition Competencia oficial Gastón Duprat and Mariano Cohn Spain On the Job: The Missing 8 Erik Matti Philippines Parallel Mothers (opening film) Madres paralelas Pedro Almodóvar Spain The Power of the Dog Jane Campion United Kingdom, Australia, United States, Canada, New Zealand The King of Laughter Qui rido io Mario Martone Italy, Spain Reflection Відблиск Valentyn Vasyanovych Ukraine Spencer Pablo Larraín United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Chile Sundown Michel Franco Mexico, France, Sweden
Out of Competition The following films were selected to be screened out of competition:
English title Original title Director(s) Production country Fiction The Accusation Les Choses Humaines Yvan AttalFrance The Catholic School La scuola cattolica Stefano MordiniItaly Dune Denis Villeneuve United States Halloween Kills David Gordon Green The Hidden Child (closing film) Il bambino nascosto Roberto AndòItaly, France The Inner Cage Ariaferma Leonardo Di CostanzoItaly, Switzerland The Last Duel Ridley Scott United Kingdom, United States Last Night in Soho Edgar Wright United Kingdom Old Henry Potsy PonciroliUnited States Non Fiction Becoming Led Zeppelin (working in progress) Bernard MacMahon United States Deandré#Deandré Storio di un Impiegato Roberta Lena Italy Django & Django Luca Rea Ennio Giuseppe Tornatore Italy, Belgium, Japan, Holland Ezio Bosso: Le cose che restano Giorgio VerdelliItaly Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song Daniel Geller and Dayna Goldfine United States Life of Crime 1984-2020 Jon Alpert Republic of Silence Diana El Jeiroudi France, Germany, Syria Loup Bureau France Viaggio Nel Crepuscolo Augusto Contento France, Italy Series Scenes from a Marriage (5 episodes) Hagai LeviUnited States Special Screenings GES‑2 Nastia Korkia Russia Pietro il grande Antonello Sarno Italy Ricostruire insieme – Biennale Architettura 2021 Graziano Conversano Short Films The Night 良夜不能留 Tsai Ming-liangTaiwan Plastic Semiotic Radu JudeRomania Sad Film VasiliMyanmar, Netherlands
Orizzonti The following films were selected for the Horizons (Orizzonti) section:
English title Original title Director(s) Production country 107 Mothers Cenzorka Peter Kerekes Slovakia, Czech Republic, UkraineAmiraأميرة Mohamed Diab Egypt, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia Anatomy of Time เวลา Jakrawal Nilthamrong Thailand, France, Netherlands, Singapore, GermanyAtlantide Yuri Ancarani Italy, France, United States, Qatar The Falls 瀑布 Chung Mong-hong Taiwan Full Time À Plein Temps Éric Gravel FranceThe Great MovementEl Gran Movimiento Kiro Russo Bolivia, France, Qatar, SwitzerlandThe Hole in the FenceEl hoyo en la cerca Joaquín del Paso Mexico, PolandInu-Oh 犬王 Masaaki Yuasa Japan MiracleMiracol Bogdan George Apetri Romania, Czech Republic, LatviaOnce Upon a Time in Calcutta Mayanagar Aditya Vikram Sengupta India, France, NorwayThe Other TomEl otro Tom Rodrigo Plá Mexico, United States The Peacock's ParadiseIl Paradiso del Pavone Laura Bispuri Italy, Germany Pilgrims Piligrimai Laurynas Bareiša LithuaniaPromisesLes Promesses Thomas Kruithof FranceTrue Things Harry Wootliff United Kingdom Vera Dreams of the Sea Vera Andrron Detin Kaltrina Krasniqi Kosovo, Albania, North Macedonia White Building Bodeng Sar Kavich Neang Cambodia, France, China, Qatar Rhino Носоріг Oleh Sentsov Ukraine, Poland, Germany
Orizzonti Extra The following films were selected to the Orizzonti Extra section: English title Original title Director(s) Production country 7 Prisoners 7 Prisioneiros Alexandre Moratto Brasil The Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic Sokea mies, joka ei halunnut nähdä Titanicia Teemu Nikki Finland Costa Brava, Lebanon كوستا برافا، لبنان Mounia Akl Lebanon, France, Qatar, Spain, Sweden The Girl Flew La ragazza ha volato Wilma Labate Italy, Slovenia Land of Dreams Shirin Neshat and Shoja Azari United States, Germany, Qatar La macchina delle immagini di Alfredo C. Roland Sejko Italy Mama, I'm Home Мама, я дома Vladimir Bitokov Russia My Night Ma Nuit Antoinette Boulat France, Belgium
Biennale College - Cinema The following films were selected for the Biennale College - Cinema section.
English Title Original Title Director(s) Production Country Al Oriente José María Avilés Ecuador Blessed Boys La Santa Piccola Silvia Brunelli Italy The Cathedral Ricky D'Ambrose United States Lavrynthos (VR) Fabito Rychter and Amir Admoni Brazil, Peru Our Father, the Devil Ellie Foumbi United States, France Our Happiest Days Nuestros Días Más Felices Sol Berruezo Pichon-Rivière Argentine, Italy La Tana Beatrice Baldacci Italy
Independent Sections
Venice International Critics' Week The lineup of films selected for the 36th Venice International Critics' Week is as follows:
English title Original title Director(s) Production countryIn Competition They Carry Death Eles transportan a morte Samuel M. Delgado, Helena Girón Spain, Colombia Erasing Frank Eltörölni Frankot Gábor Fabricius Hungary Mondocane Alessandro Celli Italy Mother Lode Matteo Tortone France, Italy, Switzerland Detours Obchodnye puti Ekaterina Selenkina Russia The Salamander A salamandra Alex Carvalho Brazil, France, Germany Zalava Arsalan Amiri IranOut of CompetitionKarmalink (opening film) Jake Wachtel Cambodia, United States The Last Chapter (closing film) La Dernière Séance Gianluca MatarreseItaly, France
Giornate degli Autori The following films were selected for the Giornate degli Autori section: English title Original title Director(s) Production countryIn CompetitionAnatomyAnatomia Ola JankowskaPoland, France Californie Alessandro Cassigoli, Casey Kauffman ItalyPrivate Desert Deserto ParticularAly MuritibaBrazil, PortugalMadeleine Collins Antoine BarraudFrance, Belgium, Switzerland The StrangerAl-ḠarībAmeer Fakher EldinSyria, Germany, Palestine, Qatar ImmaculateImaculat Monica Stan, George Chiper-LillemarkRomania Dusk Stone Piedra noche Iván FundArgentina, Chile, Spain Shen Kong Chen Guan China Out of Sync TresJuanjo GiménezSpain, Lithuania, Germany You Resemble Me Tu me ressemblesDina Amer Egypt, France, United States Out of competitionLovely Boy Francesco LettieriItalySpecial eventsThe Forgotten OnesMizrahim, les oubliés de la terre promise Michale BoganimFrance, Israel Il Palazzo Federica Di Giacomo Italy, Czech RepublicSenza fine Elisa Fuksas Italy The Great SilenceIl silenzio grandeAlessandro Gassmann Italy, PolandThree Minutes: A Lengthening Bianca Stigter NetherlandsVenice NightsCaveman Tommaso Landucci Italy, SwitzerlandCùntami Giovanna Taviani Italy Fellini and the Shadow Fellini e l'ombra Catherine McGilvray Italy, SwitzerlandGiuliaCiro De CaroItalyHugo in Argentina Stefano Knuchel SwitzerlandIsolation Michele Placido, Julia von Heinz, Olivier Guerpillon, Jaco Van Dormael, Michael WinterbottomItaly, Germany, Belgium, Sweden, United Kingdom Our Ghosts I nostri fantasmi Alessandro CapitaniItalyPrincesaStefania Muresu Sons of Cain Les Enfants de Caïn Keti Stamo France, Albania, ItalySpin TimeSabina GuzzantiItalyTonino de Bernardi - Un tempo, un incontro Daniele SegreWelcome VeniceAndrea Segre With or Without YouUna relazione Stefano Sardo The World in Shots Il mondo a scatti Cecilia Mangini, Paolo Pisanelli Women's Tales Project#21. Shangri-La Isabel SandovalItaly, United States#22. I and the Stupid BoyKaouther Ben HaniaItaly, France
Official Awards The following official awards were presented at the 78th Edition:
In Competition Golden Lion: Happening by Audrey Diwan Grand Jury Prize: The Hand of God by Paolo Sorrentino Silver Lion: The Power of the Dog by Jane Campion Volpi Cup for Best Actress: Penélope Cruz for Parallel Mothers Volpi Cup for Best Actor: John Arcilla for On the Job: The Missing 8 Best Screenplay: The Lost Daughter by Maggie Gyllenhaal Special Jury Prize: Il buco by Michelangelo Frammartino Marcello Mastroianni Award: Filippo Scotti for The Hand of God
Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement
Roberto Benigni Jamie Lee Curtis
Horizons (Orizzonti) Best Film: Pilgrims by Laurynas Bareisa Best Director: Full Time by Éric Gravel Special Jury Prize: The Great Movement by Kiro Russo Best Actress: Laure Calamy for Full Time Best Actor: Piseth Chhun for White Building Best Screenplay: 107 Mothers by Peter Kerekes Best Short Film: The Bones by Cristóbal León and Joaquín Cociña Armani Beauty Audience Award: The Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic by Teemu Nikki
Luigi De Laurentiis Award for a Debut Film (Lion of the Future) Immaculate by George Chiper-Lillemark and Monica Stan
Independent Sections Awards The following awards were presented by independent juries:
Venice International Critics' Week Grand Prize: Zalava by Arsalan Amiri Mario Serandrei: They Carry Death by Samuel M. Delgado and Helena Girón Best Short Film: Inchei by Federico Demattè Best Director: Inchei by Federico Demattè Best Technical Contribution: L'Incanto by Chiara Caterina
Giornarte degli Autori
GdA Director's Award: Immaculate by George Chiper-Lillemark and Monica Stan Europa Cinemas Label Award: Californie by Alessandro Cassigoli and Casey Kauffman
Independent Awards
Queer Lion The Last Chapter by Gianluca Matarrese
Arca CinemaGiovani Award Best Italian Film: The Hand of God by Paolo Sorrentino Venezia 78 Best Film: Happening by Audrey Diwan
Authors under 40 Award Best Director: Vera Dreams of the Sea by Kaltrina Krasniqi Best Screenplay: Immaculate by George Chiper-Lillemark and Monica Stan
BNL Gruppo BNP Paribas People's Choice Award