Venice Film Festival Jury Faces Tough Questions After Award Decisions

VENICE, Italy — After awarding the Golden Lion for best film to Jim Jarmusch‘s latest project, Venice Film Festival jury president, Alexander Payne, faced many questions from journalists. This follows much speculation about the jury’s choice, especially since Kaouther Ben Hania‘s Gaza drama received a 22-minute standing ovation at its premiere and was awarded the second-place Grand Jury prize.

During a press conference after the awards ceremony on Saturday, Payne addressed the pressures of being a jury member. “That’s the unfair thing of being at a festival, is having to say this is better than that. It’s not,” he stated. He emphasized that the jury values both films equally and hopes that the awards will support their future success. “We treasure both of those films equally, each for its own reason,” he added.

Payne further elaborated on the decision-making process, suggesting that timing could have influenced the final choice. “Look, if we had voted the day before, the day later, it might have been different,” he explained. “It’s for .000001% of having to make some kind of decision.”

Alongside Payne were other jury members including Oscar-nominated actress Fernanda Torres, Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof, and Romanian director Cristian Mungiu. These prominent figures contributed diverse perspectives to the jury’s overall decision.

<pWhen asked about a rumor on social media regarding a juror allegedly threatening to quit, Payne denied such claims. “No, did someone threaten to quit? No. I think we know not to believe everything we read online,” he said.

The Venice Film Festival continues to draw attention with its mix of celebrated films and lively discussions surrounding its awards.