Venice Film Festival 2020: Chloe Zhao’s Nomadland, Chaitanya Tamhane's The Disciple win top honours; see full winners list

Chloe Zhao’s _Nomadland_ , a recession-era road trip drama starring Frances McDormand, won the Golden Lion for best film Saturday at a slimmed-down Venice Film Festival , which was held against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic. Zhao and McDormand appeared by video from the United States to accept the award, given virus-related travel restrictions made reaching the Lido in the Italian lagoon city difficult if not impossible for many Hollywood filmmakers and actors. “Thank you so much for letting us come to your festival in this weird, weird world and way!” McDormand told the masked audience as the Italian marketing team for the film actually accepted the award. “But we’re really glad you let us come! And we’ll see you down the road!” A favorite going into the awards season, Nomadland is screening at all the major fall film festivals in a pandemic-forged alliance involving the Venice, Toronto, New York and Telluride festivals. Britain’s Vanessa Kirby won best lead actress for Pieces of a Woman, a harrowing drama about the emotional fallout on a couple after their baby dies during a home birth. Italy’s Pierfrancesco Fabino won best lead actor for Padrenostro, (Our Father), an Italian coming-of-age story that takes place after a terrorist attack in the 1970s.

#BiennaleCinema2020 #Venezia77#CoppaVolpi #MigliorAttrice@VanessaKirby: “I’m overwhelmed, it‘s going to take some time for me to process that. Cate Blanchett gave me this award and she is one of my greatest inspirations, and it’s for a role that filled my heart.” pic.twitter.com/cVS85fmQjt

— La Biennale di Venezia (@la_Biennale) September 12, 2020

Japanese director Kiyoshi Kurosawa won the Silver Lion for best director for Wife of a Spy, while the Silver Lion grand jury prize went to Mexico’s Michel Franco for his dystopian drama Nuevo Orden. The Russian film Dear Comrades! about a 1960s era massacre in the former Soviet Union, won a special jury prize while Chaitanya Tamhane won best screenplay for _The Disciple_ , about an Indian man’s pursuit to be a classical vocalist. That the 10-day Venice festival took place at all was something of a miracle, given that northern Italy in late February became ground zero for Europe’s coronavirus outbreak. Here is a full list of winners at Venice Film Festival 2020: COMPETITION Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actor: Rouhollah Zamani, Sun Children Special Jury Prize: Dear Comrades, Andrei Konchalovsky Best Screenplay: The Disciple, Chaitanya Tamhane Coppa Volpi for Best Actor: Pierfrancesco Favino, Padrenostro Coppa Volpi for Best Actress: Vanessa Kirby, Pieces of a Woman Silver Lion for Best Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Wife of a Spy Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize: New Order, Michel Franco Golden Lion for Best Film: Nomadland, Chloé Zhao HORIZONS Best Short Film: Entre tú y milagros, Mariana Safron Best Screenplay: I Predatori, Pietro Castellitto Best Actor: Yahya Mahayni, The Man Who Sold His Skin Best Actress: Khansa Batma, Zanka Contact Special Jury Prize: Listen, Ana Rocha de Sousa Best Director: Lav Diaz, Lahi, Hayop (Genus Pan) Best Film: The Wasteland, Ahmad Bahrami LION OF THE FUTURE Luigi De Laurentiis Award for Best Debut Film: Listen, Ana Rocha de Sousa VIRTUAL REALITY COMPETITION Best VR: Michelle and Uri Kranot, The Hangman at Home: An Immersive Single User Experience Best VR Experience: Kiira Benzing, Finding Pandora X Best VR Story: Fan Fan, Killing a Superstar (With inputs from The Associated Press)