Venice Film Festival ends with Golden Lion at stake after 'NAZA' draws
record ovation
[September 12, 2026]
By LINDSEY BAHR
VENICE, Italy (AP) — 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.
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Driector Lee Chang-dong, from left, Sul Kyung-gu, Jeon Do-yeon, Cho
Yeo-jeong and Zo In-sung pose for photographers at the red carpet
for the film 'Possible Love' during the 83rd edition of the Venice
Film Festival in Venice, Italy, on Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026. (Photo by
Alessandra Tarantino/Invision/AP)
 “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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