MAIN Arts & Culture Movies 2009 Venice Film Festival

One of the oldest and most prestigious film festivals in the world, the 67th Venice Film Festival kicked off this year on September 2 and ran through to September 12, 2009 when the complete group of winners were announced.

The official lineup of 2009 nominees were announced in late July, when 23 films in the festival's official competition were unveiled at a news conference in Rome.

Among the films in contention for a Golden Lion award in the official 2009 lineup included Capitalism: A Love Story, a documentary from Fahrenheit 9/11 director Michael Moore, as well as director Werner Herzog's remake of The Bad Lieutenant starring Nicolas Cage.

Oscar-winning director Ang Lee chaired this year's jury, which also featured US filmmaker Joe Dante and French actress Sandrine Bonnaire.

Venice Film Festival Awards

Now heading into its 7th decade, the Venice Film Festival has changed markedly over the recent past - from a strictly European lineup to feature a varied and outstanding international venue. This effectively makes the festival one of the earliest predictors of winners for other film top awards worldwide, including leading Hollywood contenders at the Oscars. The principal awards in Venice are the Leone d'Oro (Golden Lion), which is awarded for best film, and the Coppa Volpi (Volpi Cup) for best actor and actress.

Venice Film Festival on the Web

Around the Web, check out top sites with the latest buzz about this year's festival with information on the film program & related events, picture galleries, film clips, and a list of major 2009 Venice Film Festival entries and winners ....

La Biennale di Venezia - The official site in English & Italian, featuring the latest news, special events, all-star photo gallery, press & media information, ticket information, film festival history.

IndieWIRE - Catch the latest Venice Film Festival buzz & rumors, predictions, photos & news features as awards season draws near.

Venice Film Festival - Wikipedia guide with a brief history & overview, lists of winners by year dating back to 1932, related links.

Venice International Film Festival - Venice for Visitors - Nice overview with related history & information on the traditional venue, plus insider tips & advice on traveling to the festival on the Lido, including maps, links.

2009 Venice Film Festival Lineup & * Winners

Golden Lion Winner * Levanon (Lebanon), Samuel Maoz - Israel

Silver Lion Winner * Zanan-e-bedun-e mardan (Women Without Men), Shirin Neshat - Germany

Special Jury Prize * Soul Kitchen, Fatih Akin - Germany

Best Actor * Britain's Colin Firth for Tom Ford's "A Single Man"

Best Actress * Russian Ksenia Rappoport for "La Doppia Ora"

Best Screenplay * Life During Wartime, Todd Solondz - US

Best Debut Film * Pepe Diokno for "Engkwentro" (Clash)

Best Set Design * Sylvie Olive for Jaco Van Dormael's "Mr. Nobody"

Best Emerging Performer * Italy's Jasmine Trinca for "Il Grande Sogno"

OTHER FILMS IN COMPETITION:

Baaria - Giuseppe Tornatore - Italy
La Doppia Ora, Giuseppe Capotondi - Italy
Yi ngoi (Accident), Cheang Pou-Soi - China/Hong Kong
Persecution, Patrice Chereau - France
Lo Spazio Bianco (White Space), Francesca Comencini - Italy
White Material - Claire Denis - France
Lourdes, Jessica Hausner - Austria
Bad Lieutenant: Port Of New Orleans, Werner Herzog - US
The Road, John Hillcoat - US
Ahasin Wetei (Between Two Worlds), Vimukhti Jayasundara - Sri Lanka
El Mosafer (The Traveller), Ahmed Maher - Eqypt
Capitalism: A Love Story, Michael Moore - US
36 Vues Du Pic Saint Loup, Jacques Rivette - France
Tetsuo The Bullet Man, Shinya Tsukamoto - Japan
Lei wangzi (Prince of Tears), Yonfan - China/Taiwan/Hong Kong

OUT OF COMPETITION

[Rec] 2 - Paco Plaza, Jaume Balaguero - Spain
Chengdu, Wo Ai Ni (Chengdu, I Love You), Fruit Chan, Cui Jian - China
The Hole, Joe Dante - US
The Men Who Stare At Goats, Grant Heslov - US
Ehky ya Schahrazad (Scheherazade, Tell Me A Story), Yousry Nasrallah - Egypt
Yona Yona Penguin, Rintaro - Japan
The Informant!, Steven Soderbergh - US

also see -> Golden Globes | Cannes | Oscars

BAFTA Awards | Sundance Film Festival | Spirit Awards

Movie Trailers | Tribeca Film Festival