09/09/2006

The Golden Lion came as a true surprise, and to many journalists even seemed like a compromise from a divided jury. Jury president Catherine Deneuve defended their choice: "They told us there would be a surprise film. We were very struck by the quality of the film, which seemed to contain everything we liked: beautiful photography, a quality story, and moving and surprising characters. Still Life by Jia Zha Deng is a very special film”.

With regard to Emanuele Crialese – winner of the Silver Lion Revelation, a newly instated award at this year’s edition of the festival, for The Golden Door [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alexandre Mallet-Guy
interview: Charlotte Gainsbourg
interview: Emanuele Crialese
interview: Emanuele Crialese
interview: Fabrizio Mosca
film profile] – Deneuve said they used the prize as a “wild card”: “We wanted this unusual and personal film to win a prize. A new revelation that will reawaken audience’s memories”. Crialese responded: "The jury practically invented this award for me. It is an encouragement to improve. This is my third film and, if this kind of encouragement continues, my future is rosy".

Overly tired from his return home to France to hurry back to the Lido, master filmmaker Alain Resnais was surprised and overjoyed by his Silver Lion for Best Director said the producer of Private Fears in Public Places [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Bruno Pésery: "Alain was afraid of the reaction [to the film] because it had never been shown before Venice. The response it received moved him very much".

Absent from the post-awards ceremony press conference were French filmmakers Jean-Marie Straub and Danièle Huillet, recipients of the Special Career Lion and the centre of controversy for a letter sent to the festival director Marco Muller with accusations against the festival and the US: "As long as American imperialist capitalism exists, there will never be enough terrorists in the world".

But Helen Mirren, winner of the Best Actress Coppa Volpi for her turn in Stephen Frears’ The Queen [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Andy Harries
interview: Stephen Frears
film profile], lightened up the evening. "A beautiful bubble that bursts, sending you back to earth. That is what an award is to me. Has the Queen seen the film? Writer Robert Lacey said that if the Queen saw the film, she would probably saw, ‘Well, it could have been worse! Can I have a gin tonic?'"

Last, but certainly not least, Mahamat-Saleh Haroun was very moved by the Special Jury Prize for his beautiful Dry Season [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]. "People are celebrating in Chad! This is a huge gift, because terribly grave things take place in Africa, and often in plain sight. Unfortunately, there is no film distribution circuit on my continent, but films are still made because it is important for the memory ".

(Translated from Italian)