Venice Film Festival 2026 Wraps With Record-Length Ovations and a Full Slate of Jury Awards
The 83rd Venice International Film Festival concluded on Saturday, September 12, 2026, with the presentation of its main competition prizes, including the Golden Lion for best film. The event, held on the Lido island in Venice, featured a jury headed by American actress and filmmaker Maggie Gyllenhaal.
The festival’s lineup, announced on 23 July, included 21 feature‑length films in competition. Among them, the Israeli‑produced documentary NAZA—directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor—captured the longest standing ovation in festival history. The 25‑minute applause, the longest on record, followed the film’s premiere on 11 September. NAZA examines the Gaza war from the perspective of Israeli military intelligence and was the only documentary in the main competition.
In contrast, the Tunisian drama The Voice of Hind Rajab, directed by Kaouther Ben Hania, received a 24‑minute ovation. The film tells the story of a six‑year‑old Palestinian girl killed in Gaza and was awarded the Silver Lion, the runner‑up prize. The Silver Lion was awarded to NAZA.
The Golden Lion was presented to Jim Jarmusch’s Father Mother Sister Brother, a triptych that follows three separate narratives across the United States, Dublin, and Paris. The film was screened on 12 September and received a warm reception from the audience.
Other films that drew enthusiastic applause included Martin McDonagh’s Wild Horse Nine, a dark comedy about two CIA agents on a trip to Easter Island before the 1973 Chilean coup. The film, featuring John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell, earned a 14‑minute ovation.
The psychological thriller Bunker, written and directed by Florian Zeller, reunited Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz on screen. The film received a 14‑minute ovation, though reviews were mixed.
The crime thriller Primetime and Werner Herzog’s Bucking Fastard also attracted audience applause, as did the international entries: Danish‑Egyptian Woman Unknown (May El Toukhy), Japanese Look Back (Hirokazu Koreeda), and South Korean Possible Love (Lee Chang‑dong). Possible Love marked Lee’s return to feature filmmaking after an eight‑year hiatus.
The main competition jury consisted of 21 members, including composer Daniel Blumberg, French filmmaker Xavier Giannoli, Afghan filmmaker Shahrbanoo Sadat, and Hong Kong filmmaker Johnnie To. Kaouther Ben Hania, who directed The Voice of Hind Rajab, also served on the jury.
In addition to the competitive awards, the festival presented Lifetime Achievement honors to American actress Ellen Burstyn and actor‑filmmaker George Clooney.
The festival’s closing ceremony on 12 September featured the announcement of all jury prizes, but the article does not specify the winner of the Golden Lion. The awards were presented to the films mentioned above, with the Silver Lion going to NAZA and the Golden Lion to Father Mother Sister Brother.
The 83rd festival ran from 2 to 12 September, following the tradition of the Venice Biennale’s Lido venue. The event’s opening film was the biographical drama Ink by Danny Boyle, and the closing film was God Laughs by Giovanni Veronesi.
The festival’s proceedings were covered by the Associated Press and other outlets, noting the record‑length ovations and the diverse slate of international cinema presented.
Overall, the 83rd Venice Film Festival highlighted a mix of political documentaries, Hollywood‑style dramas, and international art‑film, underscoring the festival’s role as a platform for both mainstream and independent cinema.
