07/09/2024 - VENICE 2024: Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist and Bogdan Mureșanu’s The New Year that Never Came scooped the two FIPRESCI Prizes, whilst Mónica Taboada-Tapia’s Alma del desierto snagged the Queer Lion

The 81st Venice Film Festival (28 August-7 September) has announced the recipients of this year’s parallel awards. Traditionally, the winners are decided on independently by associations of film critics, clubs and cultural associations, as well as cinema professionals.

Among these are the prizes awarded by the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI). The jury, made up of Alissa Simon (USA), Gaia Simonati (Italy), Hannah Pilarczyk (Germany), Martin Horyna (Czech Republic), Jean-Philippe Guerand (France) and Simone Soranna (Italy), bestowed the FIPRESCI Prize for Best Competition Film upon Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist [+see also:
film review
film profile] (USA/UK/Hungary). The feature revolves around visionary architect László Toth and his wife Erzsébet, who flee post-war Europe in 1947 to rebuild their legacy and witness the birth of modern America. There, their lives are changed forever by a mysterious and wealthy client.

Furthermore, the Prize for Best Orizzonti or International Film Critics’ Week Film went to Bogdan Mureșanu’s The New Year that Never Came [+see also:
film review
film profile] (Romania/Serbia). Set in 1989, as Romania stands on the brink of revolution, the film follows six seemingly disconnected lives intersecting in unexpected ways. As tensions reach boiling point, an explosive moment unites them, culminating in the dramatic fall of Ceauşescu and his communist regime.

Finally, this year’s Queer Lion went to Mónica Taboada-Tapia’s Alma del desierto (Colombia/Brazil), showcased in the Giornate degli Autori section of the festival. Set in the arid landscapes of La Guajira, Colombia, the picture zooms in on a transgender Wayúu woman called Georgina. She knows that her time is running out and wants to change her existence. With nothing to lose, she sets out to meet her siblings, who don’t speak Spanish and are barely surviving on the fringes of the opaque Colombian bureaucratic system. Amid open wounds, memories, and unfathomable geographical and emotional distances, Georgina and her people agree that enough is enough.

Here is the list of the main parallel award winners:

FIPRESCI Award – Competition
The Brutalist [+see also:
film review
film profile] – Brady Corbet (USA/UK/Hungary)

FIPRESCI Award – Best Film from Orizzonti and the International Film Critics’ Week
The New Year that Never Came [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Bogdan Mureșanu (Romania/Serbia)

Queer Lion
Alma del desierto - Mónica Taboada-Tapia (Colombia/Brazil)

Authors Under 40 Award – In Memory of Valentina Pedicini

Best Directing
Anne-Sophie Bailly – My Everything [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Anne-Sophie Bailly
film profile] (France)
Elizabeth Lo – Mistress Dispeller (China/USA)

Special Mention for Best Cinematography
Boroka Biro – The New Year that Never Came

Special Mention for Best Directing and Scriptwriting
Xiaoxuan Jiang – To Kill a Mongolian Horse (Malaysia/USA/Hong Kong/South Korea/Japan)

Premio Fondazione FAI Persona Lavoro Ambiente
Peacock [+see also:
film review
interview: Bernhard Wenger
film profile] - Bernhard Wenger (Austria/Germany)

FEDIC Award Federazione Italiana dei Cineclub – Best Film
Playing God – Matteo Burani (Italy/France)

Francesco Pasinetti Award
Sicilian Letters [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Fabio Grassadonia and Anton…
film profile] – Antonio Piazza, Fabio Grassadonia (Italy/France)

Leoncino d'Oro Award – Agiscuola, UNICEF
The Quiet Son [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Delphine and Muriel Coulin
film profile] - Delphine Coulin, Muriel Coulin (France)

Lizzani Award – ANAC (Associazione Nazionale Autori Cinematografici)
Sicilian Letters - Antonio Piazza, Fabio Grassadonia

UNIMED Award
The Brutalist – Brady Corbet