WINNERS OF THE 2025 VENICE FILM FESTIVAL

The close of this year's Venice Film Festival brought an awards ceremony with the winner of the Golden Lion was given to the latest from Jim Jarmusch, "Father Mother Sister Brother". The drama-comedy, with a starry cast led by Cate Blanchett and Adam Driver, is about the complicated relationships between parents and their children involving three sets of families. The runner-up Grand Jury prize of the Silver Lion went to "The Voice of Hind Rajab", a political docudrama from Kaouther Ben Hania that details the killing of Hind Rajab, a five-year-old Palestinian girl who was trapped in a car during the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip last year.

For his first feature film without his brother, Josh, Benny Safdie received the Silver Lion Best Director prize for his sports biopic "The Smashing Machine" based on the life of mixed-martial arts fighter, Mark Kerr. Best Screenplay went to the director, Valérie Donzelli for her drama, "At Work (À pied d'œuvre)" and shares the prize with co-writer, Gilles Marchand. Based on a true story, a successful photographer at the peak of his career decides to pursue writing but he faces financial hardship and personal struggles during this dubious transition.

Here are the winners in the Main Competition of the 2025 Venice Film Festival:

Golden Lion: "Father Mother Sister Brother"

Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize: "صوت هند رجب (The Voice of Hind Rajab)"

Silver Lion Best Director: Benny Safdie, "The Smashing Machine"

Best Screenplay: Valérie Donzelli and Gilles Marchand, "A Pied d’oeuvre (At Work)"

Best Actress: Xin Zhilei, "日掛中天 (The Sun Rises on Us All)"

Best Actor: Toni Servillo, "La Grazia (The Pardon)"



Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best New Young Actor or Actress: Luna Wedler, "Silent Friend"



Lion of the Future – Luigi De Laurentiis Award for a Debut Film: Nastia Korkia, "Short Summer"

Special Jury Prize: Gianfranco Rosi, "Sotte le Nuvole (Below the Clouds)"

COMING SOON

"Wuthering Heights", the only novel by the British author, Emily Brontë, has captivated readers since it's publication back in 1847 and has endured as true classic of English language literature. This story about the passionate relationship between Cathy Earnshaw and Heathcliff, a poor orphan taken in by her family and the destruction he causes after she chooses to marry a wealthy neighbor instead of him has been adapted for film and television numerous times since the very beginning of cinema. 

The latest version of "Wuthering Heights" is from the provocative filmmaker, Emerald Fennell who was behind the controversial and polarizing dramas, "Promising Young Woman" and "Saltburn". The just released teaser trailer of Fennell's interpretation, that will feature Jacob Elordi as Heathcliff and Margot Robbie as Cathy, makes it clear that this will not be a tradtional rendition of Brontë's acclaimed story. With a bold, experimental style and surreal imagery, this film is almost certain to stir intense debate over what the director has done with this timeless narrative.

"Wuthering Heights" is due in US theaters on February 14, 2026