The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Venice, Italy. It is the world's oldest film festival and one of the "Big Five" International film festivals worldwide, which include the Big Three European Film Festivals, alongside the Toronto Film Festival in Canada and the Sundance Film Festival in the United States. The Festivals are internationally acclaimed for giving creators the artistic freedom to express themselves through film. In 1951, FIAPF formally accredited the festival.
The Strike is a 1947 Czechoslovak film about striking miners directed by Karel Steklý. It is based on the novel of the same title by Marie Majerová.
The Volpi Cup for Best Actress is an award presented by the Venice Film Festival. It is given by the festival jury in honor of an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance from the films in the competition slate. It is named in honor of Count Giuseppe Volpi di Misurata, the founder of the festival. The 1st ceremony was held in 1932, when Helen Hayes received the Volpi Cup for the title role in The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1931)—this was the only time that the award was chosen by public voting. From 1942 to 1945, the festival was suspended because of World War II. The student protests in May 1968 opened a period of institutional changes, with no prizes were awarded from 1969 to 1979.
The 59th annual Venice International Film Festival was held between 29 August to 8 September 2002. The Golden Lion was awarded to The Magdalene Sisters directed by Peter Mullan.
The 67th annual Venice International Film Festival held in Venice, Italy, took place from 1 to 11 September 2010. American film director and screenwriter Quentin Tarantino was the head of the Jury. The opening film of the festival was Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan, and the closing film was Julie Taymor's The Tempest. John Woo was awarded the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement prior to the start of the Festival.
The 70th annual Venice International Film Festival took place in Venice, Italy from 28 August to 7 September 2013. American film director William Friedkin was presented with a lifetime achievement award. Italian film director Bernardo Bertolucci was the President of the Jury. He was previously the President of the Jury at the 40th edition in 1983. Gravity, directed by Alfonso Cuarón, was the opening film of the festival. Italian actress Eva Riccobono hosted the opening and closing nights of the festival.
The 7th annual Venice International Film Festival was held from 31 August to 15 September 1946. It is the first edition after the suspension, from 1943 to 1945, for the Second World War. This edition is regarded as a second foundation of Venice Film Festival. The prizes for the Best actor and other official prizes were not awarded: The prize for the Best film has lost the name of Mussolini Cup and above were unified into a single premium of the two . This edition marks the return of the films of the United States that were absent since 1939.
The 9th annual Venice International Film Festival was held from 19 August to 4 September 1948.
The 12th annual Venice International Film Festival was held from 20 August to 10 September 1951.
The 15th Venice International Film Festival was held from 22 August to 7 September 1954. Writer Ignazio Silone was appointed as president of the jury. The Golden Lion was awarded to Romeo and Juliet, directed by Renato Castellani.
The 16th Venice International Film Festival was held from 25 August to 10 September 1955. Film critic Mario Gromo was appointed as the President of the Jury. The Golden Lion was awarded to Ordet, directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer.
The 20th annual Venice International Film Festival was held from 23 August to 6 September 1959.
The 72nd annual Venice International Film Festival took place from 2 to 12 September 2015. Alfonso Cuarón served as the President of the Jury for the main competition. A restored version of Federico Fellini's film Amarcord was shown at the festival. The Venezuelan film From Afar by Lorenzo Vigas won the Golden Lion award.
The Special Jury Prize is an official award given at the Venice Film Festival to one of the feature films in competition slate since 2013. It is considered the third most prestigious prize at the festival, the runner-up to both the main award Golden Lion and the second place award Grand Jury Prize.
The 73rd annual Venice International Film Festival was held from 31 August to 10 September 2016. English director Sam Mendes was the President of the Jury for the main competition. The opening night film was Damien Chazelle's musical La La Land. The Golden Lion was awarded to Lav Diaz's film The Woman Who Left.
The 74th annual Venice International Film Festival was held from 30 August to 9 September 2017. The jury president was announced as the actress Annette Bening on 5 July 2017. Downsizing, directed by Alexander Payne, was selected to open the festival. The Golden Lion, the highest prize given by the festival, was awarded to The Shape of Water, directed by Guillermo del Toro.
The 75th Venice International Film Festival was held from 29 August to 8 September 2018. Mexican film director Guillermo del Toro was named as the President of the Jury. First Man, directed by Damien Chazelle, was selected to open the festival. Guillermo del Toro was named as the Jury President for the main competition section, with Michele Riondino hosting the festival.
The 76th annual Venice International Film Festival was held from 28 August to 7 September 2019. Film director Lucrecia Martel was appointed as the President of the Jury. The Truth, directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda, was selected to open the festival. The Golden Lion was awarded to Joker, directed by Todd Phillips.
The 77th annual Venice International Film Festival was held from 2 to 12 September 2020, albeit in a "more restrained format" due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Australian actress Cate Blanchett was appointed as the President of the Jury. The Ties, directed by Daniele Luchetti, was selected as the opening film, the first Italian film in 11 years to open the festival. The Golden Lion was awarded to Nomadland, directed by Chloé Zhao. The Grand Jury Prize was awarded to the Mexican-French art film thriller New Order. The Volpi Cup for Best Actor was won by Pierfrancesco Favino and the Volpi Cup for Best Actress was won by Vanessa Kirby. The Silver Lion for Best Direction was awarded to Kiyoshi Kurosawa for the movie Wife of a Spy.
The 79th annual Venice International Film Festival was held from 31 August to 10 September 2022.
