The 82nd Venice International Film Festival wrapped up in dazzling fashion on September 6, 2025, with American indie legend Jim Jarmusch clinching the coveted Golden Lion for his quietly powerful family saga, Father Mother Sister Brother. The festival, which ran from August 27 to September 6, saw a host of international stars, stirring political themes, and moving tributes, making it one of the most talked-about editions in recent memory.
Jarmusch, a mainstay of American independent cinema since the 1980s, took home his first Venice Golden Lion with a film that, by all accounts, was not the odds-on favorite heading into the ceremony. Father Mother Sister Brother is a triptych—three separate but thematically linked stories—set in New Jersey, Dublin, and Paris, exploring the complicated, often unspoken dynamics between adult siblings and their parents. The ensemble cast reads like a who’s who of international cinema, featuring Tom Waits, Adam Driver, Mayim Bialik, Charlotte Rampling, Cate Blanchett, Vicky Krieps, Indya Moore, and Luka Sabbat. Each chapter drifts through domestic moments where, as France 24 observed, "nothing much happens, but small gestures and silences sketch out the generational awkwardness that can beset families."
As he accepted the top prize, Jarmusch was visibly moved. "Oh shit," he exclaimed, drawing laughter and applause, before adding, "All of us here who make films, we’re not motivated by competition, but I truly appreciate this unexpected honor." He went on to reflect on the role of art in society, stating, "Art does not have to address politics directly to be political. It can engender empathy and a connection between us, which is really the first step for solving things and problems that we have. So I thank you for appreciating our quiet film." According to The Hollywood Reporter, critics have described the film as "a funny, tender, astutely observed jewel."
But if Jarmusch’s win was a surprise, the emotional center of the festival was undoubtedly Kaouther Ben Hania’s The Voice of Hind Rajab. The Tunisian director’s harrowing docudrama, which recounts the true story of a six-year-old Palestinian girl’s desperate pleas for rescue after Israeli forces killed her relatives in Gaza, was widely tipped to win the Golden Lion. The film received a thunderous 21-minute standing ovation at its world premiere—a record for the festival, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter. Ultimately, it took home the Silver Lion Grand Jury prize, the festival’s runner-up award.
Ben Hania dedicated her award "to the Palestinian Red Crescent and to all those who have risked everything to save lives in Gaza. They are real heroes." In her acceptance speech, she added, "The voice of Hind is the voice of Gaza itself, a cry for rescue the entire world could hear, yet no one answered. Her voice will continue to echo until accountability is real, until justice is served." The film’s profile was further elevated by the involvement of Brad Pitt, Joaquin Phoenix, and Alfonso Cuarón as executive producers. Critics at the festival hailed it as an "intensely involving and resounding indictment of Israel’s genocidal campaigns against the Palestinian population."
Venice has often been seen as the most glamorous and least political of the major film festivals, but this year’s edition was different. The ongoing Israeli invasion of Gaza cast a long shadow over the Lido, and films that grappled with urgent real-world issues made the strongest impact. Jarmusch himself, as France 24 noted, acknowledged concerns during the festival about one of his distributors having ties to the Israeli military. The festival’s focus on current events, and the response from audiences and filmmakers alike, underscored cinema’s enduring power to confront the world’s most pressing challenges.
The best director prize went to Benny Safdie for The Smashing Machine, an offbeat biopic about mixed martial arts pioneer Mark Kerr, with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson taking on his first serious dramatic role. Safdie, accepting his trophy, gave an emotional shoutout to his star: "Oh my God, Dwayne, my friend, my brother, my partner—‘shoulder and shoulder,’ that’s what we called it. I just want to thank you for diving in headfirst with a blindfold and X-ray vision. You truly performed with no net, and we jumped off the cliff together. We grew together, learned together."
In the acting categories, Italian icon Toni Servillo was named best actor for his wry, humane portrayal of a president nearing the end of his mandate in Paolo Sorrentino’s La Grazia. Critics have called the film a return to form for both director and star, sparking talk of awards season glory reminiscent of their 2013 Oscar-winning collaboration, The Great Beauty. Chinese actress Xin Zhilei took home best actress honors for her heart-wrenching performance in Cai Shangjun’s The Sun Rises On Us All, a drama delving into sacrifice, guilt, and unresolved feelings between estranged lovers.
The best screenplay prize went to French filmmaker Valérie Donzelli and co-writer Gilles Marchand for At Work, an adaptation of Franck Courtès’ novel about a successful photographer who gives up everything to become a writer. The festival’s Horizons (Orizzonti) section, which spotlights innovative and debut films, honored Mexican director David Pablos’ En El Camino as best film—a road movie about a young drifter and a taciturn trucker forging a precarious bond on Mexico’s dangerous highways. Italian actress Benedetta Porcaroli and Giacomo Covi took home best actress and actor prizes in the Horizons section for The Kidnapping of Arabella and A Year of School, respectively.
The festival also paid a moving tribute to Italian fashion icon Giorgio Armani, who died on September 4 at the age of 91. Carlo Ratti, curator of the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale, summed up Armani’s legacy during the ceremony: "Thank you, Giorgio Armani, for teaching us that creativity thrives in spaces where disciplines meet—fashion, cinema, art, new materials, architecture—just like they do every day here at the Venice Biennale."
This year’s main jury was chaired by two-time Oscar-winning director Alexander Payne, whose panel included Brazilian actress Fernanda Torres, Iranian auteur Mohammad Rasoulof, French director Stéphane Brizé, Italian filmmaker Maura Delpero, Chinese actress Zhao Tao, and Palme d’Or-winning Romanian director Cristian Mungiu. Their task was formidable, given the sheer number of must-see movies in competition, from Netflix’s star-studded slate—Noah Baumbach’s Jay Kelly, Kathryn Bigelow’s A House of Dynamite, Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein—to acclaimed films by Park Chan-wook, Yorgos Lanthimos, and Paolo Sorrentino.
As the curtain fell on the Venice Lido, the festival’s message was clear: even as the business model of theatrical film faces relentless assault, the art form remains as vital as ever. The 82nd edition not only celebrated cinematic artistry but also reaffirmed the medium’s capacity to reflect, challenge, and move audiences worldwide.
