Venice Film Festival Nears Golden Lion Decision as 'NAZA' Sets Ovation Record

The 83rd Venice Film Festival draws to a close on Saturday with the presentation of jury awards, headlined by the Golden Lion for best film. The main competition jury is led by Maggie Gyllenhaal, and its choices for film, direction and acting remain open, with 21 titles in contention.

Among the entrants, the late addition "NAZA" has emerged as a focal point. The documentary, in which Israeli military insiders discuss the war in Gaza and what they describe as the systemic killing of Palestinian civilians, received a 25-minute standing ovation — the longest recorded at the festival. It surpasses the 24-minute ovation given last year to "The Voice of Hind Rajab." Some observers were then surprised that the film, about a six-year-old girl killed in Gaza, took only the runner-up Silver Lion, while the top prize went to Jim Jarmusch's "Father Mother Sister Brother."

Kaouther Ben Hania, who directed "The Voice of Hind Rajab," sits on this year's jury alongside English composer Daniel Blumberg, French filmmaker Xavier Giannoli, Afghan filmmaker Shahrbanoo Sadat and Hong Kong filmmaker Johnnie To. "NAZA" is the only documentary in competition and one of two entries with a female director, with Rachel Szor sharing directing duties with Yuval Abraham.

Other films also drew warm receptions, with ovations stretching into the mid-teens of minutes. Martin McDonagh's "Wild Horse Nine," a dark comedy about two CIA agents travelling to Easter Island shortly before the 1973 military coup in Chile, was noted for its script and for performances by John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell. McDonagh's two previous films, "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" and "The Banshees of Inisherin," both premiered at Venice, where he won screenplay prizes and Colin Farrell took an acting award; both went on to multiple Oscar nominations, and "Three Billboards" won two, for Rockwell and Frances McDormand.

"Bunker," a psychological thriller reuniting Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz, held audiences for more than 14 minutes. Written and directed by Florian Zeller, the film centres on marital tensions after an acclaimed architect is asked to build a luxury bunker for a tech billionaire, and it drew mixed reviews. Festival ovations can sometimes reflect a film's star power more than its merits.

The crime thriller "Primetime" raises the question of whether Robert Pattinson might be recognised for his widely praised portrayal of "To Catch a Predator" host Chris Hansen. Rooney and Kate Mara may also draw attention for their matched performances in Werner Herzog's "Bucking Fastard."

International entries include Danish-Egyptian filmmaker May El Toukhy's tense domestic drama "Woman Unknown," set in the aftermath of World War II; Hirokazu Koreeda's contemplative manga adaptation "Look Back"; and South Korean auteur Lee Chang-dong's poetic portrait of class and labour, "Possible Love." In Lee's film, Jeon Do-yeon, Sul Kyung-gu, Zo In-sung and Cho Yeo-jeong play two married couples — one wealthy, one struggling — linked through a documentary about laid-off workers in Korea. It is Lee's first film in eight years, after "Burning," and quickly became a critics' favourite.

The main competition jury will have the final say, and Venice juries have been known to spring surprises.