The documentary “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” by US director Laura Poitras has won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. This was announced by the jury on Saturday evening. The work tells about the life of the photographer Nan Goldin.
Poitras, 58, is best known for Citizens Four, an Oscar-winning documentary about whistleblower Edward Snowden. Poitras is the seventh woman to win the Golden Lion since 1949.
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed chronicles Goldin’s life, her artistic endeavors and her struggle against the Sackler family, known for marketing the addictive drug Oxycontin and sponsoring culture. Goldin was dependent on it himself. The 68-year-old became famous with intimate photographs that deal with topics such as sexuality, illness, desire or violence.
This year’s Grand Jury Prize went to French actress Alice Diop for “Saint Omer”. Jailed Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi was honored with the Special Jury Prize for “No Bears”. The Silver Lion for Best Director went to Italian director Luca Guadagnino for Bones and All, and Best Actress went to Cate Blanchett for her role in Tár. Colin Farrell won Best Actor for The Banshees of Inisherin.
The Venice Film Festival, which began on August 31, is one of the three most important in the world, alongside the Cannes Film Festival and the Berlinale. In this year’s competition, 23 works competed for the prizes.
The awards were presented by an international jury. Its chair was the American actress Julianne Moore.