Culture
Venice Film Festival ends with Golden Lion at stake after ‘NAZA’ draws record ovation
John Malkovich, left, and Sam Rockwell pose for photographers at the red carpet for the film ‘Wild Horse Nine’ during the 83rd edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026. (Photo by Alessandra Tarantino/Invision/AP)
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The 83rd Venice Film Festival ends Saturday with the presentation of jury awards including the Golden Lion for best film.
There is no telling how the Maggie Gyllenhaal -led jury might swing when it comes to the big prizes for film, direction and acting. But some of the 21 entrants have emerged as favorites — judging by the standing ovations — with a mix of current events, Hollywood fare and international productions in contention.
The late festival addition “NAZA,” in which Israeli military insiders give insight into the war in Gaza and what they say is the systemic killing of Palestinian civilians, received a 25-minute standing ovation — the longest on record.
That beat the 24-minute ovation that followed last year’s premiere of “The Voice of Hind Rajab.” Some were surprised at the time that the film about a 6-year-old girl killed in Gaza received only the runner-up prize known as the Silver Lion, while the big prize went to Jim Jarmusch’s “Father Mother Sister Brother.”
Kaouther Ben Hania, who directed “The Voice of Hind Rajab,” is on this year’s jury, which also includes English composer Daniel Blumberg, French filmmaker Xavier Giannoli, Afghan filmmaker Shahrbanoo Sadat and Hong Kong filmmaker Johnnie To.
Also, notably, “NAZA” is the only documentary in competition and boasts one of two female directors in the slate, with Rachel Szor sharing directing duties with Yuval Abraham.
Other films got enthusiastic ovations as well, stretching well into the mid-teens, including the more Hollywood, star-driven offerings “Wild Horse Nine” and “Bunker.”
Martin McDonagh’s “Wild Horse Nine,” a dark comedy about two CIA agents on a trip to Easter Island shortly before the 1973 military coup in Chile, impressed festivalgoers with its sharp script and performances from John Malkovich, who has never won an Oscar, and Sam Rockwell.
McDonagh’s previous two films, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” and “The Banshees of Inisherin” both premiered at Venice, where he received screenplay prizes for both, and an actor win for Colin Farrell. Those two films went on to receive multiple Oscar nominations, including best picture. “Three Billboards” won two, for Rockwell and Frances McDormand.
“Bunker,” a psychological thriller that reunited real life couple Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz on screen also had audiences clapping for over 14 minutes. But the Florian Zeller-written and -directed film about marital tensions when an acclaimed architect is asked to build a luxury bunker for a tech billionaire, received mixed reviews. Sometimes the ovations in Venice can be more about the drawing power of a film’s stars than the film itself.
The crime thriller “Primetime ” raises the question of whether Robert Pattinson might be celebrated for his widely praised turn as “To Catch a Predator” host Chris Hansen.
Perhaps sisters Rooney and Kate Mara will get some recognition for their synced performances in Werner Herzog’s “Bucking Fastard.”
And then there is the international contingent, which includes Danish-Egyptian filmmaker May El Toukhy’s tense domestic drama “Woman Unknown,” set in the aftermath of World War II, Hirokazu Koreeda’s contemplative manga adaptation “Look Back” and South Korean auteur Lee Chang-dong’s poetic portrait of class and labor, “Possible Love.”
In Lee’s latest film, actors Jeon Do-yeon, Sul Kyung-gu, Zo In-sung and Cho Yeo-jeong play two married couples, one wealthy, one struggling, who become connected through a documentary about laid off workers in Korea. “Possible Love” is Lee’s first film in eight years, following his acclaimed “Burning,” and became an immediate favorite among critics at the festival.
The main competition jury will have the final say, however, and Venice juries have been known to surprise. Remember when “Joker” won?
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