Venice Film Festival Nears Finish as Gyllenhaal-Led Jury Weighs Its Prizes

The 83rd Venice International Film Festival moved into its final stretch on Saturday, with jury president Maggie Gyllenhaal and her fellow jurors walking the red carpet as the competition headed toward its closing awards.

How the jury will vote on the top prizes for film, direction and acting remains open. But several of the 21 films in contention have staked out early positions, measured in the length of their standing ovations, in a lineup that blends current affairs, Hollywood star power and international productions.

The late addition "NAZA" drew a 25-minute ovation — the longest on record at the festival. The documentary features Israeli military insiders describing the war in Gaza and what they characterize as the systemic killing of Palestinian civilians. It surpassed the 24-minute reception given last year to "The Voice of Hind Rajab," a film about a six-year-old girl killed in Gaza. That film took 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," is serving on this year's jury. She is joined by 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 titles also enjoyed warm receptions running well into the mid-teens in minutes, among them the star-driven Hollywood offerings "Wild Horse Nine" and "Bunker."

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, drew praise 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 for each and an acting award for Colin Farrell. Both went on to multiple Oscar nominations, including best picture, with "Three Billboards" winning two.

"Bunker," a psychological thriller that reunites Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz on screen, held audiences for more than 14 minutes. The Florian Zeller-written and directed film, about marital strain when an acclaimed architect is asked to design a luxury bunker for a tech billionaire, drew mixed reviews — a reminder that ovation length in Venice can reflect a film's star power as much as 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. Sisters Rooney and Kate Mara could also draw attention for their paired performances in Werner Herzog's "Bucking Fastard."