Overview

• Kaouther Ben Hania’s Gaza-set The Voice of Hind Rajab received the festival’s runner-up award after earning one of Venice’s longest standing ovations.
• Benny Safdie won best director for The Smashing Machine, boosting attention on Dwayne Johnson’s dramatic turn.
• Volpi Cups went to Toni Servillo for La Grazia and Xin Zhilei for The Sun Rises on Us All.
• The ceremony featured a standing-ovation tribute to Giorgio Armani, who died during the festival.
• Protests and an industry letter over the Gaza war shaped the festival’s atmosphere, reinforcing Venice’s role in launching awards contenders.