The 82nd edition of the Venice International Film Festival crowned Jim Jarmusch as the great victor of the event this Saturday. His latest film, Father Mother Sister Brother, won the prestigious Golden Lion, the festival’s top prize, in a ceremony filled with emotion, political references, and tributes. Jarmusch’s film, which intertwines three stories set in New York, Dublin, and Paris, explores family dynamics from different angles. Starring Cate Blanchett, Adam Driver, and Tom Waits, Father Mother Sister Brother was described by the director himself as “a quiet, intimate film where empathy becomes a tool of resistance.” Both the audience and jury responded enthusiastically to this sober and poetic work. Upon receiving the award, Jarmusch —wearing his trademark dark glasses and a maroon suit— drew smiles with his opening words: “Oh, shit.” He then thanked Venice, “the city of Casanova, Vivaldi, and Terence Hill,” and recalled Akira Kurosawa’s words when he once received an honorary prize: “He said he still didn’t quite know how to make films; I feel the same, like I am always learning.”

The night’s second most important honor, the Grand Jury Prize, went to The Voice of Hind Rajab by Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania. The film tells the tragedy of a young girl trapped in the Gaza war and became one of the ceremony’s most moving moments. Ben Hania dedicated her award to Palestinian rescue teams and delivered a powerful speech: “Hind’s voice called for help to the entire world and no one answered. Her echo will remain until there is justice. This is not only her story, it is also that of a regime that acts with impunity.” Her words received a standing ovation and placed the Palestinian conflict at the center of the gala. Politics and social denunciation permeated other interventions throughout the evening, from Ecuadorian filmmaker Ana Cristina Barragán, who ended her acceptance speech with “Free Palestine,” to Indian director Anuparna Roy, who linked her Orizzonti award to a call for peace.

The Silver Lion for Best Director went to Benny Safdie for The Smashing Machine, a biopic of fighter Mark Kerr. Safdie called it “an exercise in radical empathy,” thanking the jury with tears in his eyes and pleading that they not cut him off with music. Acting awards went to Chinese actress Xin Zhilei for The Sun Rises on Us All and Italian veteran Toni Servillo, who confirmed the predictions with his performance in Paolo Sorrentino’s La Grazia. Servillo devoted part of his speech to reflecting on human dignity, while also mentioning Palestine. French filmmaker Valérie Donzelli won the Best Screenplay award for At Work, while Gianfranco Rosi received a Special Jury Prize for his documentary Below the Clouds. In the Orizzonti section, On the Road by David Pablos took the top award, while Ana Cristina Barragán was recognized for her screenplay The Ivy. The acting prizes in this category remained in Italy: Benedetta Porcaroli (The Kidnapping of Arabella) and Giacomo Covi (A Year of School) were warmly applauded by the home crowd.

The ceremony was marked by a tribute to designer Giorgio Armani, who passed away on Thursday and whose brand had long sponsored the festival. Honorary awards also went to Werner Herzog, Gus Van Sant, and Julian Schnabel. The Armani Beauty Audience Award was given to Calle Málaga by Maryam Touzani, who dedicated her words to her family but also to the victims of Gaza: “Politics may fail, but art will always be a refuge for justice, freedom, and humanity.” Meanwhile, the Luigi De Laurentiis Award for Best Debut Feature went to Short Summer by Nastia Korkia, who reminded the audience of the 1,291 days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, saying: “It is like radiation that destroys society from within.”

The international jury, presided over by American director Alexander Payne, included Brazilian actress Fernanda Torres, Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof, Romanian director Cristian Mungiu, French filmmaker Stéphane Brizé, Italian director Maura Delpero, and Chinese actor Zhao Tao, among others. The diversity of perspectives was reflected in a winners’ list where political engagement coexisted with the most intimate auteur cinema. Jarmusch summed up the spirit of this edition by saying: “Art does not have to address politics directly to be political. It can generate empathy, and empathy is the first step toward solving our problems.” The Venice Film Festival thus concluded with a clear message: cinema remains, more than ever, a space for reflection, memory, and resistance.

All the winners:

• Golden Lion: 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

• Best Actress: Xin Zhilei – The Sun Rises on Us All

• Best Actor: Toni Servillo – La Grazia

• Best Screenplay: Valérie Donzelli – At Work

• Special Jury Prize: Below the Clouds – Gianfranco Rosi

• Orizzonti Best Film: On the Road – David Pablos

• Orizzonti Best Screenplay: Ana Cristina Barragán – The Ivy

• Orizzonti Best Actress: Benedetta Porcaroli – The Kidnapping of Arabella

• Orizzonti Best Actor: Giacomo Covi – A Year of School

• Orizzonti Best Director: Anuparna Roy – Songs of Forgotten Trees

• Orizzonti Special Jury Prize: Lost Lands – Akio Fujimoto

• Orizzonti Best Short Film: Without Kelly – Lovisa Sirén

• Armani Beauty Audience Award: Calle Málaga – Maryam Touzani

• Luigi De Laurentiis Award for Best Debut Feature: Short Summer – Nastia Korkia