Venice Film Festival 2025 Full List Of Winners: Jim Jarmusch’s Film Wins Golden Lion, Benny Safdie Takes Best Director

The 2025 Venice Film Festival wrapped up this weekend, with juries announcing the winners Saturday night across the main competition, Orizzonti, and a handful of other sections.

Against all predictions, Jim Jarmusch’s understated family saga “Father Mother Sister Brother” (MUBI) snagged the Golden Lion, beating out a slate of flashier contenders. Jarmusch looked genuinely floored onstage, muttering, “Oh shit,” as he accepted the prize.

Toni Servillo took home the Volpi Cup for Best Actor, thanks to his lead role in Paolo Sorrentino’s opening night film “La Grazia” (also on MUBI).

On the actress side, Xin Zhilei picked up the award for her work in “The Sun Rises on Us All,” directed by Cai Shangjun. Benny Safdie, whose “The Smashing Machine” is set for a U.S. release via A24 in October, walked away with Best Director.

As for the Grand Jury Prize, that went to Kaouther Ben Hania’s “The Voice of Hind Rajab,” a powerful drama set in Gaza and already Tunisia’s pick for the Best International Feature Oscar.

Alexander Payne chaired the main competition jury, with a lineup that included filmmakers Cristian Mungiu, Mohammad Rasoulof, Stéphane Brizé, Maura Delpero, and actors Fernanda Torres and Zhao Tao.

This year’s competition slate featured new films from a strong roster: Park Chan-wook, Kathryn Bigelow, Mona Fastvold, Benny Safdie, Guillermo del Toro, Noah Baumbach, Jim Jarmusch, Yorgos Lanthimos, among others.

Red carpet regulars before the awards included Toni Servillo, Jarmusch, Kaouther Ben Hania, and Safdie. 

Over in Orizzonti, the section spotlighting bold and innovative filmmaking, the jury was led by director Julia Ducournau, joined by Italian filmmaker Yuri Ancarani, Argentine critic Fernando Enrique Juan Lima, Australian director Shannon Murphy, and American filmmaker RaMell Ross. Standouts from that lineup: “Rose of Nevada” by Mark Jenkin (with Callum Turner and George MacKay), Kent Jones’ “Late Fame” (featuring Willem Dafoe and Greta Lee), Stillz’s “Barrio Triste,” Ali Asgari’s “Divine Comedy,” Ana Cristina Barragan’s “Hiedra,” and several more.

David Pablos’ “On the Road,” a Mexican film exploring male desire, won Best Film in Orizzonti. Best Director in that section went to Anuparna Roy for “Songs of the Forgotten Trees,” who used her acceptance speech to voice support for Palestine.

Full list of winners at Venice Film Festival 2025: 

Golden Lion: “Father Mother Sister Brother” (dir. Jim Jarmusch)

Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize: “The Voice of Hind Rajab” (dir. Kaouther Ben Hania)

Silver Lion for Best Director: Benny Safdie, “The Smashing Machine”

Special Jury Prize: “Below the Clouds” (dir. Gianfranco Rosi)

Best Screenplay: “À Pied d’œuvre,” Valérie Donzelli and Gilles Marchand

Volpi Cup for Best Actress: Xin Zhilei, “The Sun Rises on Us All”

Volpi Cup for Best Actor: Toni Servillo, “La Grazia”

Marcello Mastroianni Best Young Actor Award: Luna Wedler, “Silent Friend”

Audience Award — Armani Beauty: “Calle Málaga” (dir. Maryam Touzani)

Orizzonti Best Film: “On the Road” (dir. David Pablos)

Orizzonti Best Director: Anuparna Roy, “Songs of the Forgotten Trees”

Orizzonti Special Jury Prize: “Lost Land” (dir. Akio Fujimoto)

Orizzonti Best Actress: Benedetta Porcaroli, “The Kidnapping of Arabella”

Orizzonti Best Actor: Giacomo Covi, “A Year of School”

Orizzonti Best Screenplay: “Hiedra” (Ana Cristina Barragán)

Orizzonti Best Short Film: “Without Kelly” (dir. Lovisa Sirén)

Lion of the Future — “Luigi De Laurentiis” Venice Award for a Debut Film: “Short Summer,” dir. Nastia Korki

Venice Classics — Best Documentary on Cinema: “Mata Hari” (dir. Joe Beshenkovsky, James A. Smith)

Venice Classics — Best Restored Film: “Bashu, The Little Stranger” (dir. Bahram Beyzaie)

Venice Immersive Grand Prize: “The Clouds Are Two Thousand Meters Up” (Singing Chen)

Venice Immersive Special Jury Prize: “Less Than 5GR of Saffron” (Négar Motevalymeidanshah)

Venice Immersive Achievement Prize: “A Long Goodbye” (Kate Voet, Victor Maes)

ALSO READ: Anuparna Roy Becomes First Indian to Bag Venice’s Orizzonti Award For Songs of Forgotten Trees, Thanks This BIG Bollywood Director