80th Venice International Film Festival

The 80th annual Venice International Film Festival was held from 30 August to 9 September 2023, at Venice Lido in Italy.

Comandante, directed by Edoardo De Angelis, served as the festival's opening film on 30 August. Luca Guadagnino's Challengers was originally scheduled to have its world premiere as the festival's opening film,  but MGM/Amazon chose to withdraw it and delay its release due to the ongoing 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. J. A. Bayona's Society of the Snow closed the festival on 9 September.

American filmmaker Damien Chazelle served as Jury President for the main competition, while French filmmaker Alice Diop headed the jury for the Luigi de Laurentis Award for Debut Feature and Italian filmmaker Jonas Carpignano headed the jury of the Orizzonti section.

Alberto Barbera, Venice's artistic director, acknowledged that the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike was likely to impact the festival if it was not resolved in time, due to the strike rules that prevent all actors from taking part in any kind of promotional activities for their films. Nevertheless, the festival proceeded though fewer Hollywood celebrities than usual were in attendance, while an increase of European titles in all sections was expected. The world premieres of some upcoming award season hot titles expected to premiere at Venice, such as Ethan Coen's Drive-Away-Dolls, ended up delayed. As the strike was ongoing, some American films announced the absence of the cast in the red carpet of their world premieres, including Bradley Cooper, director/writer/producer and actor of Maestro.

Italian director Liliana Cavani and Chinese/Hong Kong actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai were both awarded with the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement during the festival.

Main Competition (Venezia 80)

 * Damien Chazelle, American filmmaker - Jury President
 * Saleh Bakri, Palestinian actor
 * Jane Campion, New Zealand filmmaker
 * Mia Hansen-Løve, French filmmaker and actress
 * Gabriele Mainetti, Italian filmmaker
 * Martin McDonagh, British-Irish filmmaker and playwright
 * Santiago Mitre, Argentine filmmaker
 * Laura Poitras, American filmmaker
 * Shu Qi, Taiwanese-Hong Kong actress and model

Horizons (Orizzonti)

 * Jonas Carpignano, Italian filmmaker - Jury President
 * Kaouther Ben Hania, Tunisian filmmaker
 * Kahlil Joseph, American filmmaker, music video director, and video artist
 * Jean-Paul Salomé, French filmmaker
 * Tricia Tuttle, British programmer and director of the BFI London Film Festival and the BFI Flare: London LGBTQI+ Film Festival

Luigi de Laurentis Award for Debut Film

 * Alice Diop, French filmmaker - Jury President
 * Faouzi Bensaïdi, Moroccan filmmaker
 * Laura Citarella, Argentinian director and producer
 * Andrea De Sica, Italian director and screenwriter
 * Chloe Domont, American filmmaker

Venice Classics

 * Andrea Pallaoro, Italian filmmaker - Jury President

Venice Immersive

 * Singing Chen, Taiwanese filmmaker and music composer - Jury President
 * German Heller, Argentinian animator and producer
 * Pedro Harres, Brazilian director, animator, screenwriter and multimedia artist

In Competition (Venezia 80)
The following films were selected for the main international competition:
 * Highlighted title indicates Golden Lion winner.

Out of Competition
The following films were selected to be screened out of competition:

Special Screening
The following films were selected to have a Special Screening:

Horizons (Orizzonti)
The following films were selected to the Orizzonti main competition: Highlighted title indicates Orizzonti award winner.

Horizons Extra (Orizzonti Extra)
The following films were selected to the Orizzonti Extra section: Highlighted title indicates Orizzonti Extra award winner.

Venice Classics
Venice Classics is the section that since 2012 has presented world premiere screenings at the Venice Film Festival of a selection of the best restorations of film classics carried out over the past year by film archives, cultural institutions and production companies around the world. The section usually also presents a selection of documentaries about cinema. Director and screenwriter Andrea Pallaoro will chair a Jury of Film Students which will award the Venice Classics prizes for the respective competitions for Best Restored Film and for the Best Documentary About Cinema. The Jury chaired will be composed of 24 students, each of them recommended by professors of film studies from various Italian universities. The following films were selected to the Venice Classics section:

Venice Immersive
The Venice Immersive is entirely devoted to immersive media and includes all XR means of creative expression, from 360° videos to XR works of any length, including installations and virtual worlds. The following projects were selected for the XR - Extended Reality section of La Biennale di Venezia: Highlighted title indicates Venice Immersive Grand Prize award winner.

Final Cut in Venice
Final Cut in Venice is the festival program that has been providing since 2013 support in the completion of films from African and Middle East countries. The following seven work-in-progress films have been selected for the 11th edition of Final Cut in Venice:

Venice International Critics’ Week (38. Settimana Internazionale della Critica)
The titles in competition will compete for the €5,000 Grand Prize and the €3,000 Audience Award. The selection committee is led by delegate general Beatrice Fiorentino with members including Enrico Azzano, Chiara Borroni, Ilaria Feole, and Federico Pedroni. The following films were selected to the International Critics’ Week sections:

Giornate degli Autori
The line-up spans 10 films in competition, seven special events, eight titles in "Venice Nights" as well as a special day-long event devoted Vallée and the cinema of Québec. The following films were selected to the Giornate degli Autori sections:

Official Awards
The following official awards were presented at the 80th Edition:

Main Competition (Venezia 80)

 * Golden Lion: Poor Things by Yorgos Lanthimos
 * Grand Jury Prize: Evil Does Not Exist by Ryusuke Hamaguchi
 * Special Jury Prize: Green Border by Agnieszka Holland
 * Silver Lion: Matteo Garrone for Io capitano
 * Volpi Cup for Best Actress: Cailee Spaeny for Priscilla
 * Volpi Cup for Best Actor: Peter Sarsgaard for Memory
 * Golden Osella for Best Screenplay: Guillermo Calderón and Pablo Larraín for El Conde
 * Marcello Mastroianni Award: Seydou Sarr for Io capitano

Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement

 * Liliana Cavani
 * Tony Leung Chiu-wai

Horizons (Orizzonti)

 * Best Film: Explanation for Everything by Gabor Reisz
 * Best Director: Mika Gustafson for Paradise Is Burning
 * Special Jury Prize: An Endless Sunday by Alain Parroni
 * Best Actress: Margarita Rosa de Francisco for El paraíso
 * Best Actor: Tergel Bold-Erdene for City of Wind
 * Best Screenplay: El paraíso by Enrico Maria Artale
 * Best Short Film: A Short Trip by Erenik Beqiri

Horizons Extra (Orizzonti Extra)

 * Audience Award: Felicità by Micaela Ramazzotti

Lion of the Future

 * Luigi De Laurentis Award for a Debut Film: Love Is a Gun by Lee Hong-chi

Venice Classics

 * Best Documentary on Cinema: Thank You Very Much by Alex Bravermen
 * Best Restored Film: Moving by Shinji Sômai

Venice Immersive

 * Grand Prize: Songs for a Passerby by Celine Daemen
 * Special Jury Prize: Flow by Adriaan Lokman
 * Achievement Prize: Emperor by Marion Burguer, Ilan Cohen

Final Cut in Venice

 * Carissa by Jason Jacobs, Devon Delmar


 * “Coup de cœur de la Cinémathèque Afrique” award: Carissa by Jason Jacobs, Devon Delmar


 * El Gouna Film Festival award: Sudan, When Poems Fall Apart by Hind Meddeb


 * Eye on Films award: She Was Not Alone by Hussein Al-Asadi


 * Festival International du Film d’Amiens award: She Was Not Alone by Hussein Al-Asadi


 * Festival International de Films de Fribourg award: Carissa by Jason Jacobs, Devon Delmar


 * Laser Film award: Happy Holidays by Scandar Copti


 * MAD Solutions award: Sudan, When Poems Fall Apart by Hind Meddeb


 * Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF – ACP – EU) post-production award: Life is A Railroad by Kevin Mavakala, Manassé Kashala, Isaac Sahani, Tousmy Kilo


 * Oticons award: She Was Not Alone by Hussein Al-Asadi


 * Music Supervision Oticons award: Life is A Railroad by Kevin Mavakala, Manassé Kashala, Isaac Sahani, Tousmy Kilo


 * Rai Cinema award: Sudan, When Poems Fall Apart by Hind Meddeb


 * Red Sea Fund of the Red Sea International Film Festival award: Sudan, When Poems Fall Apart by Hind Meddeb


 * Sub-Ti Ltd award: She Was Not Alone by Hussein Al-Asadi


 * Sub-Ti Access Srl award: She Was Not Alone by Hussein Al-Asadi


 * TitraFilm award: Sudan, When Poems Fall Apart by Hind Meddeb


 * Studio A Fabrica award: Happy Holidays by Scandar Copti

Independent Sections Awards
The following collateral awards were conferred to films of the autonomous sections:

Venice International Critics' Week

 * Grand Prize: Malqueridas by Tana Gilbert
 * Jury Special Mention:
 * Saura Lightfoot Leon in Hoard
 * Ariane Labed in The Vourdalak
 * The Film Club Audience award: Hoard by Luna Carmoon
 * Verona Film Club Award: Hoard by Luna Carmoon
 * Mario Serandrei: Malqueridas by Tana Gilbert
 * Best Short Film: Las Memorias Perdidas de los Arboles by Antonio La Camera
 * Best Director: La linea del terminatore by Gabriele Biasi
 * Best Technical Contribution: Malqueridas by Tana Gilbert

Giornate degli Autori

 * Europa Cinemas Label Award: Photophobia by Ivan Ostrochovský, Pavol Pekarčík
 * GdA Director's Award: Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person by Ariane Louis-Seize
 * People Choice's Award: Through the Night by Delphine Girard

Queer Lion

 * Housekeeping for Beginners by Goran Stolevski

ARCA CinemaGiovani Award

 * Best Film of Venezia 80: Green Border by Agnieszka Holland
 * Best Italian Film in Venice: El Paraíso by Enrico Maria Artale

Authors Under 40 Award

 * Best Directing and Screenwriting: Luna Carmoon for Hoard
 * Best Screenwriting: Mika Gustafson for Paradise Is Burning
 * Special Mention: Ariane Louis-Seize and Chrisine Doyon for Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person
 * Special Mention for Best Editing: Javira Velozo and Tana Gilbert for Malqueridas

Brain Award

 * Tatami by Guy Nattiv and Zar Amir Ebrahimi

Casa Wabi - Mantarraya Award

 * To the winner of the Lion of the Future Award

CICT - UNESCO Enrico Fulchignoni Award

 * Io capitano by Matteo Garrone

Cinema & Arts Award

 * Golden Musa: Backstage by Afef Ben Mahmoud and Khalil Benkirane
 * Golden Musa: Making Of by Cédric Kahn
 * Special Mention Dedicated to a Multidisciplinary Artist': Chong Keat Aun for Snow in Midsummer

Premio CinemaSarà

 * Green Border by Agnieszka Holland
 * Special Mention: Evil Does Not Exist by Ryusuke Hamaguchi

Civitas Award

 * Io capitano by Matteo Garrone

Edipo Re Award

 * Io capitano by Matteo Garrone
 * Ca' Foscari Young Jury Award: Evil Does Not Exist by Ryusuke Hamaguchi

Premio Fondazione Fai Persona Lavoro Ambiente

 * Evil Does Not Exist by Ryusuke Hamaguchi
 * Special Mention: Making Of by Cédric Kahn (treatment of issues related to work)
 * Special Mention: The Red Suitcase by Fidel Devkota (treatment of issues related to work)
 * Special Mention: Housekeeping for Beginners by Goran Stolevski (treatment of issues related to social environment)

Fanheart3 Award

 * Graffetta d'Oro for Best Film: Dogman by Luc Besson
 * Nave d'Argento for Best OTP: Characters Sasha and Paul in Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person by Ariane Louis-Seize
 * XR Fan Experience: Gargoyle Doyle by Ethan Shaftel
 * XR Special Mention: Pixel Ripped 1978 by Ana Ribeiro

FEDIC Award

 * Io capitano by Matteo Garrone
 * Special Mention for Best Film: Anna by Marco Amenta
 * Special Mention for Best Short Film: We Should All Be Futurists by Angela Norelli
 * Jury Special Prize: Passione Critica by Simone Isola, Franco Montini, Patrizia Pistagnesi

FIPRESCI Awards

 * Best Film (main competition): Evil Does Not Exist by Ryusuke Hamaguchi
 * Best Film (other sections): An Endless Sunday by Alain Parroni

Francesco Pasinetti Award

 * Io capitano by Matteo Garrone

Green Drop Award

 * Green Border by Agnieszka Holland (ex-aequo)
 * Io capitano by Matteo Garrone (ex-aequo)

ImpACT Award

 * Io capitano by Matteo Garrone

Lanterna Magica Award

 * Io capitano by Matteo Garrone

Leoncino d'Oro Award

 * Io capitano by Matteo Garrone
 * Cinema for UNICEF: Green Border by Agnieszka Holland

Lizzani Award

 * Nowhere by Simone Massi

NUOVOIMAIE Talent Awards

 * Best New Young Actor: Gianmarco Franchini for Adagio
 * Best New Young Actress: Sara Ciocca for Nina of the Wolves

La Pellicola d'Oro Award

 * Best Production Director: Claudia Cravotta for Io capitano
 * Best Camera Operator: Massimiliano Kuveiller for Finally Dawn
 * Best Set Designer: Simona Balducci for Comandante

SIGNIS Award

 * Io capitano by Matteo Garrone
 * Special Mention: The Promised Land by Nikolaj Arcel

"Sorriso Diverso Venezia Award" XI Edition

 * Best Italian Film: The Penitent - A Rational Man by Luca Barbareschi
 * Best Foreign Film: Green Border by Agnieszka Holland

Premio Soundtrack Stars Award

 * Best Soundtrack: Io capitano, soundtrack by Andrea Farri
 * Special Mention: The Killer, soundtrack by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
 * Special Prize: Adagio, soundtrack by Subsonica

UNIMED Award

 * Best Film: Poor Things by Yorgos Lanthimos
 * Prize for Cultural Diversity: Green Border by Agnieszka Holland

Controversy
During the Festival, casting director of Io capitano, Henri-Didier Njikam, was denied an entry visa by the Italian Embassy in Rabat, Morocco, because there were no guarantees that he would leave Italian territory once he entered. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter Roma, Njikam said the fact was perceived as "an act of racism" as "the embassy justified the refusal by claiming that there were no guarantees that I would leave Italian territory once I entered, in Venice. They basically treated me as a migrant, as if I wanted to take advantage of the situation to escape. But I have a job, a professional card from the Moroccan Film Center. And, frankly, if I wanted to work in Europe, I would have already done so," and that the entity "did not look at my resume or my documents, only the color of my skin. [...] This problem exists only with the Italian embassy in Morocco, because my colleagues from Ghana and the Ivory Coast were able to leave. If I had been white, I don't think I would have been treated this way."