08/09/2007

As everyone waits for the Golden Lion to be announced, the parallel prizes were handed out at the Lido Casino, beginning with the FIPRESCI International Critics Prize, which goes to French film La Graine et le mulet [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Hafsia Herzi
film profile] by Abdellatif Kechiche and to Jonathan Demme’s documentary Jimmy Carter: Man From Plains. The Italian trade magazine Filmcritica gave its Premio Bastone Bianco to Claude Chabrol’s The Girl Cut in Two [+see also:
trailer
film profile], with a special mention to another out-of-competition master, Manoel de Oliveira, for his Christopher Columbus, The Enigma [+see also:
trailer
film profile].

The National Italian Film Journalists Union awarded its Francesco Pasinetti Prize to the best Italian film, Don’t Think About It [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Gianni Zanasi, also giving Salvatore Maira’s Valzer [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] a special mention. The choice of the two Venice Days titles confirms the reception reserved for the Italian competition films, much less appreciated than the Italian titles in the other sections. The best actor awards do not belie this trend: Toni Servillo for (La ragazza del lago [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], Critics’ Week) and Valeria Solarino (Valzer).

Special mention was also given to Horizons title Il passaggio della linea for “the attentive gaze of a young director towards a quotidian and hidden Italy that even in 2000 continues its journey on the old train of hope”. Pietro Marcello’s film also picked up the Biografilm and Doc/it awards while the Provincia Autonoma di Trento gave its top prize to Arnaud Desplechin’s L’Aimée.

The festival’s two independent sections, Critics’ Week and Venice Days, both have their winners: the latter unanimously chose Taiwanese title The Most Distant Course by Lin Jing-jie while the former saw Tricks (Sztuczki) [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Andrzej Jakimowski
interview: Tomasz Gąssowski
film profile] by Andrzej Jakimowski pick up the Europa Cinema Labels award, and further enjoyed the success of the Queer Lion (to the best film with a homosexual theme), which went to US director Ed Radtke’s The Speed of Life.

The Leoncino d’Oro, given by high school students, went to The Darjeeling Limited by Wes Anderson, while Cinemavvenire – whose founder Gillo Pontecorvo recently passed away – awarded I’m Not There by Todd Haynes and Spanish-Mexican co-production The Zone [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Rodrigo Plà.

Peter Greenaway won the Premio Fondazione Mimmo Rotella, for the “strong bond with figurative arts” of Nightwatching [+see also:
trailer
film profile], while the Prix du Forum Cinema et Litterature chose Joe Wright’s Atonement [+see also:
trailer
film profile].

Among the cinema organizations, FEDIC (Italian Federation of Film Clubs) awarded Don’t Think About It and CICAE (Confédération Internationnale des Cinémas d'Art et d'Essai) the French-Korean co-production With the Girl of Black Soil by Jeon Soo-il.

The Catholic jury of SIGNIS chose In the Valley of Elah by Oscar winner Paul Haggis, mentioning the European commitment of Ken Loach (It's a Free World [+see also:
trailer
film profile]) and Kechiche (among the biggest contenders for the Golden Lion), who also won the La Navicella dell'Ente dello Spettacolo Award.

(Translated from Italian)