Film Festival
Believed to be the most ancient of its kind as it began in 1932, the Venice Film Festival is known in its native tongue as “Mostra Internazionale d’Arte Cinematografica.” It is part of the country’s biennial exhibition for contemporary art. It is then held each year that starts in the latter part of August up to the early days of September which is held in Lido di Venezia. It is located in the historic Palazzo del Cinema on the Lungomare Marconi in Italy.
A new award has been added to the Venice Film Festival, it is called San Marco bestowed to the finest movie in the “Controcorrente” category. However, the most coveted trophy in the Venice Film Festival is the Golden Lion or “Leone d’Oro.” It was introduced in 1954 by its then steering committee. Between 1949- 1953, it was known as Lion of Saint Mark or “Leone Di San Marco” but before that, from 1947- 1948, it was dubbed as the Great International Prize of Venice or “Premio Internazionale Di Venizia.” Prior to that, the Mussolini Cup or “Coppa Mussolini” was regarded as the highest of all.
Here are the Golden Lion winners in the Venice Film Festival looking back to 1947’s “Sirena” by Karel Stekly until the recently controversial “Brokeback Mountain” by Ang Lee in 2005. Laurence Olivier’s “Hamlet” won in 1948 where it was an adaptation of a William Shakespeare’s tragedy distinguished as the most quoted plays. “Manon” by Henri- Georges Clouzot trailed right after where it is an comical opera divided in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French account by Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille.
In 1951, “Rashomon” by Akira Kurosawa won where it is a Japanese work in collaboration with Kazup Miyagawa starring Toshiro Mifune. Rene Clement’s “Jeux Interdits” was recognized in 1952 Venice Film Festival. It is based on the novel entitled Les Jeux Inconnus by author Francois Boyer about a five year- old Paulette where who flee after a Nazi plane raided their place. In 1955, it was the turn of “Ordet” by Carl Theodor Dreyer where it is a Danish play by Kaj Munk, a pastor that was assassinated by the Nazis. Satyajit Ray’s “Aparajito” in 1957 shined among the rest where it is the second part of the Apu Trilogy starring Kanu Bannerjee and Karuna Bannerjee.
In the new millenium, “The Circle” by Jafar Panahi was cited in 2000. It is an Iranian independent movie that concentrated on the treatment of women in their country. Mira Nair’s “Monsoon Wedding” followed where it depicts different romantic affairs during a conventional marriage in Delhi, India called Punjabi. In 2003, Peter Mullan’s “The Magdalene Sisters” emerged victorious where it was about females transferred to asylums since they did something sexually wrong.