Venice Film Festival | Cate Blanchett, Colin Farrell win top acting honors

Blanchett won for her performance in Todd Field’s ‘TÁR’, while Farrell won for Martin McDonagh’s ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’

Cate Blanchett and Colin Farrell won the top acting prizes at the Venice International Film Festival on Saturday. Blanchett won for her performance as a renowned conductor in Todd Field’s TÁR and Farrell for playing a man who is broken up with by his longtime friend in Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin.

“I’m shocked to get this and thrilled,” Farrell said in a live video message broadcast at the festival Saturday night. McDonagh was on site to collect the prize.

Bones and All-star Taylor Russell won the Marcello Mastroianni Award for the best young actress for her turn in the cannibal love story co-starring Timothée Chalamet. “I have a speech prepared because I’m nervous,” Russell said. “I’m grateful beyond belief to be standing here. So many of my heroes are in this room.”

Russell also thanked her director Luca Guadagnino. “He’s been a great friend to me and I love him so dearly.”

The 79th edition of the Venice International Film Festival came to a close Saturday evening as the jury gathered to hand out prizes to the films in competition in a ceremony hosted by Rocio Munoz Morales.

The jury, led by Julianne Moore, selected the winners from 23 films in competition that included many Oscar hopefuls. The Oscar-winner presided over a jury that included French director Audrey Diwan, whose film Happening won the Golden Lion last year, author Kazuo Ishiguro (“ Never Let Me Go”) and Iranian actor Leila Hatami ( A Separation). Also on the main jury were Italian director Leonardo Di Costanzo ( The Inner Cage) Argentinian filmmaker Mariano Cohn ( Official Competition) and Rodrigo Sorogoyen ( The Candidate).

Premiering in competition at Venice has launched many successful Oscar campaigns in recent years, leading to nominations and even wins. Seven times in the last nine years, the best director Oscar has gone to a film that world premiered at the festival, including Chloé Zhao, Alfonso Cuarón, Alejandro G. Iñarritu, twice, Guillermo del Toro and Damien Chazelle. It’s also debuted a handful of best picture winners like Nomadland, The Shape of Water and Birdman.