Venice Film Festival 2025: Dwayne Johnson’s ‘The Smashing Machine’ wins Silver Lion for Best Director, ‘Father Mother Sister Brother’ receives Golden Lion

VENICE: The 82nd edition of the Venice Film Festival concluded on Saturday after crowning Jim Jarmusch’s ‘Father Mother Sister Brother’ the Golden Lion award for the best film at the event, reported Variety.

According to the outlet, the Silver Lion for best director went to Benny Safdie for ‘The Smashing Machine,’ while Gaza drama ‘The Voice of Hind Rajab’ was awarded the Grand Jury prize at the Venice Film Festival.

Wearing his trademark sunglasses and a classy maroon suit, director Jarmusch accepted his award while expressing his gratitude to the jury and the audience for their love towards his film ‘Father Mother Sister Brother’.

“As filmmakers, we’re not motivated by competition, but this is something I truly appreciate.” He mentioned his love for Venice, calling it “the city of Casanova, Vivaldi and Terence Hill” in his acceptance speech.

He also shouted out to Benny Safdie’s speech when he accepted the best director award for ‘The Smashing Machine,’ agreeing that “art does not have to address politics directly to be political. It can engender empathy, which is the first step toward solving our problems,” reported Variety.

Kaouther Ben Hania’s ‘The Voice of Hind Rajab,’ a drama recounting the real-life killing of a 5-year-old Palestinian girl, took the second-place grand jury prize at the Venice Film Festival 2025.

After dedicating her win to the Palestinian Red Crescent and the other “heroes” in the first response teams in Gaza, Ben Hania said, “Hind’s voice was a cry for rescue the entire world could hear but no one answered. Her voice will continue to echo until accountability and justice is served. Cinema cannot bring her back nor can it erase the atrocity that was committed against her. But cinema can preserve her voice,” as quoted by Variety.

Safdie, the best director winner for ‘The Smashing Machine’, spoke of his Venice experience as “a dream come true. To be here, amongst the giants of the past and the giants of this year, it blows my mind,” in his acceptance speech at the Venice Film Festival 2025.

“We wanted to make this film as an exercise in radical empathy, and empathy is more important than ever,” he continued, before practically interrupting himself with a tribute to his star, Dwayne Johnson. “And my God, Dwayne, my friend, my brother and partner, shoulder to shoulder, that’s what we said,” as quoted by Variety.

The Italian winners included a widely fancied best actor award for local hero Toni Servillo for his lead performance in ‘La Grazia.’

Indian filmmaker Anuparna Roy created history at the 82nd edition of the Venice Film Festival, winning the Best Director in the Orizzonti Competition for her film ‘Songs of Forgotten Trees’.
Presented by Anurag Kashyap, Anuparna Roy’s ‘Songs of Forgotten Trees’ became the only Indian title in Venice’s Orizzonti section. It revolves around two migrant women in Mumbai as they navigate loneliness, survival, and fleeting moments of connection.

Here is a full list of winners at the Venice Film Festival 2025.

COMPETITION
Golden Lion for Best Film: ‘Father Mother Sister Brother,’ Jim Jarmusch
Grand Jury Prize: ‘The Voice of Hind Rajab,’ Kaouther Ben Hania
Silver Lion for Best Director: Benny Safdie, ‘The Smashing Machine’
Special Jury Prize: ‘Below the Clouds,’ Gianfranco Rosi
Best Screenplay: Valerie Donzelli and Gilles Marchand, ‘A pied d’oeuvre’ (‘At Work’)
Volpi Cup for Best Actress: Xin Zhilei, ‘The Sun Rises on Us All’
Volpi Cup for Best Actor: Toni Servillo, ‘La Grazia’
Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actor: Luna Welder, ‘Silent Friend’
Armani Beauty Audience Award: ‘Calle Malaga,’ Maryam Touzani
Luigi De Laurentis Award for Debut Film: ‘Short Summer,’ Nastia Korkia

HORIZONS
Best Film: ‘En el camino’ (‘On the Road’), David Pablos
Best Director: Anuparna Roy, ‘Songs of Forgotten Trees’
Special Jury Prize: ‘Hara Watan’ (‘Lost Land’), Akio Fujimoto
Best Actress: Benedetta Porcaroli, ‘Il Rapimento di Arabella’ (‘The Kidnapping of Arabella’)
Best Actor: Giacomo Covi, ‘Un Anno di Scuola’ (‘A Year of School’)
Best Screenplay: ‘Hiedra’ (‘The Ivy’), Ana Cristina Barragan
Best Short Film: ‘Without Kelly,’ Lovisa Siren

VENICE CLASSICS
Best Documentary on Cinema: ‘Mata Hari,’ Joe Beshenkovsky and James A. Smith
Best Restored Film: ‘Bashu, the Little Stranger,’ Bahram Beizai

VENICE IMMERSIVE
Grand Prize: ‘The Clouds Are Two Thousand Meters Up,’ Singing Chen
Special Jury Prize: ‘Less Than 5gr of Saffron,’ Negar Motevalymeidanshah
Achievement Prize: ‘A Long Goodbye,’ Kate Voet and Victor Maes
The 82nd edition of the Venice Film Festival began on August 27 and concluded on September 6, 2025. (ANI)