UPDATE: Earlier intel confirmed. Almodovar is the Golden Lion winner.
Golden Lion: “The Room Next Door” (Pedro Almodóvar)
Grand Jury Prize: “Vermiglio” (Maura Delpero)
Silver Lion for Best Director: Brady Corbet, “The Brutalist”
Special Jury Prize: “April” (Déa Kulumbegashvili)
Best Screenplay: Murilo Hauser and Heitor Lorega, “I’m Still Here”
Best Actress: Nicole Kidman, “Babygirl”
Best Actor: Vincent Lindon, “The Quiet Son”
It’s hard to believe, but this is the first time Almodóvar has won the top prize at a major festival in his career, and that’s despite a filmography that includes “All About My Mother,” “Talk To Her,” “Women on the Verge of A Nervous Breakdown” and “Bad Education.”
“The Room Next Door” follows the story of close friends Martha (Swinton) and Ingrid (Julianne Moore), close friends in their youth, when they worked together at the same magazine. After years of being out of touch, they meet again in an extreme situation.
Although “The Room Next Door,” which stars Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton, garnered mostly positive reviews, it wasn’t predicted by many to win the top prize. “The Brutalist” and “April” were said to be the top films in contention, and they ended up winning, respectively, Best Director and the Special Jury Prize.
Meanwhile, Nicole Kidman’s win has spiked her awards season momentum — she now could very well earn her sixth Oscar nomination for “Babygirl.” In the film, Kidman plays a high-powered CEO who puts her work on the line when she begins a steamy affair with her much younger intern (Harris Dickinson).
Vincent Lindon (“The Quiet Son”) surprised many by winning Best Actor. Daniel Craig (“Queer”) was considered the favorite to win this award, but Isabelle Huppert instead opted to give the prize to her fellow countryman, and good friend. While accepting the award, Lindon thanked Huppert four times in his speech.
EALIER: Alright, here we go. I’m hearing some interesting rumors about tonight’s Venice awards ceremony. Pedro Almodovar’s “The Room Next Door” might have won the Golden Lion — at the very least it’s won something big. Brady Corbet won Best Director for “The Brutalist.” Other winners include Dea Kulumbegashvili’s “April,” Walter Salles’ “I’m Still Here.”. Meanwhile, word is that Nicole Kidman (“Babygirl”) might have nabbed Best Actress. Vincent Lindon (“The Quiet Son”) is Best Actor.
Matt Johnson, the guy behind the excellent "BlackBerry" and "Nirvana the Band the Show the Movie," is directing Legendary's adaptation of Hasbro's "Magic: The Gathering."