Golden Lion

The Golden Lion is the highest prize awarded to a film in the official competition of the Venice International Film Festival. It has been awarded annually since 1949, with occasional interruptions.

Venice International Film Festival: An annual film festival founded in 1932 and held in Venice, Italy. The festival created the Golden Lion as its top official-competition award.
Rashomon: Akira Kurosawa’s 1950 film in which witnesses give conflicting accounts of a violent crime. Its 1951 Golden Lion helped bring Japanese cinema to international attention.
Venice Film Festival competition: The official selection of films competing for awards at the Venice International Film Festival. Only films in the official competition can win the Golden Lion.
Film festival circuit: The international network of film festivals where films premiere, compete, and reach audiences. A Golden Lion win raises a film’s profile across this network.
Leone di San Marco: A winged lion representing Saint Mark and the historic symbol of Venice. The prize’s lion recalls Venice’s civic emblem and gives the award its name.
The Year of the Dragon: A 1985 drama directed by Andrzej Wajda about political upheaval in Poland. It shared the Golden Lion in 1985, one of the award’s rare ties.
Venice Film Festival jury: An appointed panel of film professionals that selects winners of the festival’s official awards. The jury chooses the Golden Lion winner from the competition lineup.
Film distribution: The processes by which films reach cinemas, streaming services, and other audiences. The prize can improve a film’s prospects for international distribution.
Golden Lion (Venice Film Festival trophy): The winged-lion statuette presented to winners of the Venice Film Festival’s top prize. The trophy gives the award its recognizable physical form.
Vagabond: A 1985 French film directed by Agnès Varda about a young woman traveling alone. It shared the 1985 Golden Lion, marking a major festival win for Varda.

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