ITALY: 57TH VENICE FILM FESTIVAL ENDS WITH IRANIAN DIRECTOR JAFAR PANAHI WINNING GOLDEN LION FOR "DAYEREH"

Record ID: 921826

  • Title: ITALY: 57TH VENICE FILM FESTIVAL ENDS WITH IRANIAN DIRECTOR JAFAR PANAHI WINNING GOLDEN LION FOR "DAYEREH"
  • Date: 9th September 2000
  • Summary: VENICE, ITALY (SEPTEMBER 9, 2000) (REUTERS) ***CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** VARIOUS, EXTERIORS, CATWALK (2 SHOTS) SCU ALBERTO BARBERRA, BIENNALE FILM FESTIVAL DIRECTOR ARRIVES (3 SHOTS) SMV ATOM EGOYAN, JURY PRESIDENT AND CHIARA MASTROIANNA ARRIVE. SC(SOUNDBITE) (English) JURY PRESIDENT ATOM GOYAN: "It's been a really wonderful experience my first time here I think it's a
  • Embargoed: 6th July 2005 19:59
  • Keywords:
  • Location: VENICE, ITALY,
  • Country: Italy
  • Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment
  • Reuters ID: LVA1EUF2AMZH3WFY83FCM5U6VAU2
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3
  • Story Text: The 57th Venice Film Festival has drawn to a close with the traditional last-night prize-giving. 'Dayereh' (The Circle) - a study of the lives of three Iranian women won the top prize the Golden Lion. The best actor award went to Spain's Javier Bardem for his performance as an oppressed Cuban homosexual in Julian Schnabel's 'Before Night Falls.' Schnabel's movie also picked-up a special commendation prize from the festival jury. The best actress award went to Rose Byrne for her part in 'The Goddess of 1967.' Directed by Jafar Panahi and starring Fereshteh Sadr Orafai, Maryiam Parvin Almani and Nargess Mamizadeh, 'Dayereh' was always a front-runner with the Venice Jury.
    The film is about the trials of life of three women in modern-day Iran. Panahi studied at Teheran's College of Cinema and TV before turning to full-time film-making. His highly successful and critically acclaimed directorial debut , 1995's 'Badkonak-e sefid' received numerous awards, including the Camera d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. His victory at Venice was a popular one the cheer at his declaration loud and warm.
    Other winners at Venice included The Special Director's award for Buddhadeb Dasgupta's 'Uttara,' a down-beat story of struggle in India.
    The award for best screenplay went to Marco Tullio Giordana for his work on 'I Cento Passi' with joint credits for Claudia Fava and Monica Zappelli.
    The Marcello Mastroianni Award for young talent went to Megan Burns for her part in Stephen Frear's 'Liam.' The Golden Medal of the Italian Senate was awarded to Barbet Schroeder's 'La Virgin De Los Sicarios.' The Coppa Volpi award for Best Actress went to Rose Byrne for 'The Goddess of 1967.' Best actor went to Spain's Javier Bardem for 'Before Night Fall's' which also received the Jury's Grand Prix special award.
    Julian Schnabel's 'Before Night Falls,' a biographical account of Cuban writer Reinaldo Arenas was always expected to do well.
    Arenas, author of several novels including the acclaimed 'El Mundo Alucinante' ('Hallucinations') faced persecution in sixties Cuba for his criticism of Castro's regime and his homosexuality - what he described as his 'two delicious vices.' Schnabel was determined to film 'Before Night Falls' after reading the late Arenas' memoirs of the same name.
    Bigger than ever before and showing over a hundred and fifty movies, the often-esoteric Venice Biennale film festival did not turn it's back on mainstream Hollywood fare. Clint Eastwood picked up a life-time achievement award. The Italians having always seen him as one of their own following his sixties movie debut in Sergio Leone's so-called 'spaghetti' westerns.
    As Eastwood himself is fond of saying, "I never realised so much would stem from being a US TV star playing in an Italian-directed Western based on a Japanese classic, shot in Spain and financed with German money!"
    Eastwood moseyed into town with his cast from 'Space Cowboys' in tow - Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland and James Garner.
    A grumpy-looking Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer, who found herself, in her own words 'somewhat discombobulated' with the translation headphones in an Italian press conference, also stopped-off to promote their 'What Lies Beneath' before following Eastwood and his gang on to Deauville.
    The cast of U-571 surfaced in the second week Harvey Keitel, Matthew McConaughey, Bill Paxton and Jon Bon Jovi promoting their World War Two submarine epic as a nod to it's Italian producer Dino De Laurentiis. No one could doubt their sincerity as they recounted their sadness and understanding after watching the 'Kursk' submarine tragedy unfold.
    Richard Gere also stopped off to promote Robert Altman's 'Dr. T and the Women'. He also played a lively part in the American Federation for Aids Research AmFAR-charity 'auction' hosted by Sharon Stone in Venice. Miss Stone stayed on after presenting Eastwood with his achievement award. The AmFAR auction proved a considerable success.
    MTV also chose to stage an event in Venice knowing full well the international press corp would welcome a break from movie coverage. Unfortunately their first-ever 'MTV Venice party' was very nearly washed out by a thunderstorm. But Kylie Minogue and David Morales took to the stage and treated over a thousand guests to a low-key but enjoyable gig.
    These peripheral events all demonstrate the ever-growing reputation and status of the Venice film festival an earnest homage to world cinema staged in an incomparable setting.
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