Venice Biennale: Golden Lion for “The Room Next Door” by Pedro Almodóvar

The
Golden Lion of the Venice Film Festival goes to the film The room next door by the Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar.

The drama tells the story of two friends who have to come to terms with death. Tilda Swinton plays a woman with terminal cancer who asks an old friend (Julianne Moore) for a complicated favor. She does not want to be alone at the moment of her self-chosen death. The film is based on the novel What are you missing by Sigrid Nunez.

Pedro Almodóvar is Spain's most internationally famous director. His film Everything about my mother Won an Oscar in 2000. The 74-year-old received another Oscar in 2003 for Talk to her. The room next door is his first English-language feature film.

Awards for Nicole Kidman and Vincent Lindon

Other important awards at the film festival went to the Australian actress Nicole Kidman for her role in Babygirl (best actress), the French actor Vincent Lindon for his role Playing with fire (best actor) and the Italian director Maura Delpero, who won for her film Vermilion
Received the Grand Jury Prize.

Nicole Kidman did not attend the award ceremony because her mother had died shortly before. On her behalf, director Halina Reijn read a message in which Kidman dedicated the award to her mother. Director Brady Corbet, who won the Silver Lion for Best Director, expressed his condolences to the actress on stage.

The 81st Venice Film Festival, which began on August 28, was one of the three most important in the world, alongside the Cannes Film Festival and the Berlinale. In this year's competition, 21 works competed for the prizes.

The awards were presented by an international jury chaired by French actress Isabelle Huppert.