At the 2025 Venice International Film Festival on 6 September, US indie director Jim Jarmusch unexpectedly took the Golden Lion for Father Mother Sister Brother, a three‑part film featuring Cate Blanchett and an ensemble cast; Kaouther Ben Hania’s The Voice of Hind Rajab was named runner‑up with the Silver Lion after a 23‑minute standing ovation.
Key takeaways
- Jim Jarmusch’s Father Mother Sister Brother won the Golden Lion at Venice on 6 September 2025.
- The film is divided into New Jersey, Dublin and Paris chapters and stars Cate Blanchett among others.
- Kaouther Ben Hania’s The Voice of Hind Rajab received the Silver Lion and drew a 23‑minute ovation.
- Toni Servillo won best actor for La Grazia; Xin Zhilei won best actress for Sun Rises on Us All.
- Benny Safdie took best director for The Smashing Machine, starring Dwayne Johnson as Mark Kerr.
- Gianfranco Rosi earned the special jury award for Below the Clouds.
- Several high‑profile films, including three Netflix titles, left Venice without prizes.
Verified facts
Father Mother Sister Brother, a reflective comedy in three parts set in New Jersey, Dublin and Paris, was announced as the Golden Lion winner at the festival closing ceremony on 6 September 2025. The ensemble cast includes Tom Waits, Adam Driver, Mayim Bialik, Charlotte Rampling, Vicky Krieps, Indya Moore and Luka Sabbat alongside Cate Blanchett.
Kaouther Ben Hania’s The Voice of Hind Rajab, which incorporates the recorded pleas of a five‑year‑old Palestinian girl killed during the Gaza war, received the Silver Lion after its premiere earned a 23‑minute standing ovation. Ben Hania dedicated the award to preserving the child’s voice and called for accountability.
Individual awards went to Toni Servillo (best actor) for Paolo Sorrentino’s La Grazia and Xin Zhilei (best actress) for Cai Shangjun’s Sun Rises on Us All. Benny Safdie won best director for The Smashing Machine, a biopic featuring Dwayne Johnson as mixed martial arts figure Mark Kerr. Gianfranco Rosi received the special jury prize for his black‑and‑white documentary Below the Clouds.
Several anticipated films failed to win prizes, including Kathryn Bigelow’s A House of Dynamite, Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein project, Noah Baumbach’s Jay Kelly, Park Chan‑wook’s No Other Choice and Yorgos Lanthimos’s Bugonia starring Emma Stone.
Context & impact
Venice remains a launchpad for awards‑season contenders; films that premiere here often carry momentum into the Oscars. This year, however, the festival’s strongest reactions clustered around politically charged works responding to the Israel‑Gaza war, shifting attention from glamour to urgent subject matter.
Jarmusch acknowledged concerns about one of his film’s distributors receiving funds linked to a company with ties to the Israeli military, an issue he said weighed on him as he unveiled the film. Festival winners with explicit political content may see heightened international attention and activist responses as distribution and exhibition decisions follow.
The awards committee emphasised plurality in its choices. Jury president Alexander Payne said the jury valued multiple films for different reasons and wished them long and important lives, while denying reports that a juror had threatened to resign over the decisions.
Official statements
“Cinema cannot bring Hind back, nor can it erase the atrocity committed against her. Her voice will continue to echo until accountability is real, until justice is served.”
Kaouther Ben Hania
“As a jury, we treasure both of those films equally, each for its own reason.”
Alexander Payne, jury president
Unconfirmed
- Reports that a juror threatened to quit over the awards were publicly denied by jury president Alexander Payne and remain contested in press accounts.
Bottom line
Jarmusch’s unexpected Golden Lion win spotlights a quietly crafted ensemble film at a festival increasingly shaped by geopolitical themes. Both the prize choices and the strong audience response to politically charged films suggest Venice 2025 will influence awards discussions and distribution debates in the months ahead.