14th Venice International Film Festival

The 14th annual Venice International Film Festival was held from 20 August to 4 September 1953.

The Golden Lion of Saint Mark was not awarded this year. The jury, having examined the films in competition and noting the considerable average high level of the motion pictures presented, found that no work prevailed in terms of absolute value. In accordance with article 20 of the 1953 regulation, the jury requested from the president of the festival the authorization not to award the Grand Prix, which was finally granted. Instead, the jury decided to award the Silver Lion to six films.

Jury

 * Eugenio Montale, Italian writer - Jury President
 * Gaetano Carancini
 * Sandro De Feo
 * Nino Ghelli
 * Gian Gaspare Napolitano
 * Antonio Petrucci
 * Antonio Petrucci

Main Competition

 * Silver Lion:
 * Thérèse Raquin by Marcel Carné
 * Ugetsu by Kenji Mizoguchi
 * Moulin Rouge by John Huston
 * I Vitelloni by Federico Fellini
 * Sadko by Aleksandr Ptushko
 * Little Fugitive by Ray Ashley, Morris Engel and Ruth Orkin
 * Volpi Cup for Best Actor: Henri Vilbert for Good Lord Without Confession
 * Volpi Cup for Best Actress: Lilli Palmer for The Fourposter
 * Bronze Lion:
 * Pickup on South Street by Samuel Fuller
 * I Was a Parish Priest by Rafael Gil
 * Les Orgueilleux by Yves Allégret
 * The Landowner's Daughter by Tom Payne

OCIC Award

 * I Was a Parish Priest by Rafael Gil

Pasinetti Award

 * Ugetsu by Kenji Mizoguchi