Overview

• The jury led by Alexander Payne awarded Jim Jarmusch’s Father Mother Sister Brother the Golden Lion in a result that surprised many festival watchers.
• Kaouther Ben Hania’s The Voice of Hind Rajab received the Grand Prize after a deeply emotional reception that included a reported 23-minute standing ovation.
• The Gaza-focused film blends reenactments with authentic Palestinian Red Crescent emergency-call recordings, a form that amplified its impact on audiences.
• Benny Safdie won best director for The Smashing Machine, which features Dwayne Johnson as an MMA fighter battling personal struggles.
• Toni Servillo and Xin Zhilei earned the Volpi Cups for acting, and Valérie Donzelli took best screenplay, as artists and demonstrators associated with Venice4Palestine kept Gaza in the spotlight throughout the festival.