Golden Lion – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

WEEK IN WOMEN: Ellen Burstyn receives Golden Lion at Venice Film Fest – Brandy McDonnell reports

August 23, 2026August 23, 2026 Brandy McDonnell Alberto Barbera, Ellen Burstyn, Golden Lion, lifetime achievement, the week in women, twiw, Venice International Film Festival

Oscar-winning actress Ellen Burstyn will be awarded the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, set to take place September 2-12. The Golden Lion will be awarded to Burstyn in conjunction with the festival’s screening of Maggie Gyllenhaal’s short film Flesh Impact. Dedicated to Marilyn Monroe on the centenary of her birth, the film features yet another extraordinary performance by the actress. “Wow! I not only get to travel to one of my top most favorite cities in the whole world. I get to return home carrying a Golden Lion in my arms! The Lifetime Achievement Award from the Venice Film Festival! I feel so honored— so happy — so filled with gratitude! Wow indeed!” Burstyn said.

News

WEEK IN WOMEN: Kim Novak honored with the Golden Lion – Brandy McDonnell reports

August 19, 2025August 20, 2025 Brandy McDonnell Alberto Barbera, Golden Lion, Kim Novak, La Biennale di Venezia, lifetime achievement, the week in women, twiw, Venice International Film Festival

Iconic American actress Kim Novak, 92, has been named a 2025 recipient of the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice International Film Festival of La Biennale di Venezia. Her image will remain forever linked to the dual characters she played in Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo,” which became the role of her life. Pairing Novak and James Stewart, the film has become unforgettable and continues to excite and haunt audiences today. Vertigo has been named the Best Film Ever Made by the British Film Institute and was the first motion picture to be named as part of the Library of Congress.

Reviews

THE ROOM NEXT DOOR – Review by Susan Granger

February 4, 2025February 4, 2025 Susan Granger Golden Lion, julianne moore, pedro almodovar, The Room Next Door, tilda swinton

Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodovar’s first feature film in English – The Room Next Door, winner of the Golden Lion at the 81st Venice International Film Festival – revolves around mortality and euthanasia, the decision to commit suicide. Aware that her inoperable cervical cancer is terminal, Martha (Tilda Swinton), a former war correspondent estranged from her only daughter, convinces her novelist friend Ingrid (Julianne Moore) to accompany her to a a serenely peaceful rented house – in the woods of upstate New York – where she plans to take a fatal drug dose. Acquiring the lethal pill off the dark web, Martha decides to be self-determined to the end but she doesn’t want to be alone, which is why she asks Ingrid to be in the room next door, to be her witness.

News

WEEK IN WOMEN: Sigourney Weaver’s Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement – Brandy McDonnell reports

August 28, 2024August 27, 2024 Brandy McDonnell Alberto Barbera, Golden Lion, La Biennale di Venezia, lifetime achievement, sigourney weaver, the week in women, twiw, Venice International Film Festival

Iconic American actress and three-time Academy Award nominee Sigourney Weaver is receiving the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 81st Venice International Film Festival, set for Aug. 28-Sept. 7 in Italy. A BAFTA and Golden Globe winner, Weaver has created a host of memorable characters, both dramatic and comic, ranging from Ripley in Alien to Dian Fossey in Gorillas in the Mist. Born and educated in New York City, Weaver graduated from Stanford University and went on to receive a master’s degree from the Yale School of Drama. Her first professional job was in Sir John Gielgud’s production of The Constant Wife, working with Ingrid Bergman.

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WEEK IN WOMEN: Catherine Deneuve Honored at Venice Film Festival — Brandy McDonnell reports

August 23, 2022August 29, 2022 Brandy McDonnell Catherine Deneuve, Golden Lion, the week in women, twiw, venice film festival

French film icon Catherine Deneuve will receive the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 79th Venice International Film Festival. Her selection for the honor was made by the board of La Biennale di Venezia, which embraced the proposal of the festival’s director, Alberto Barbera.

News

WEEK IN WOMEN: Jamie Lee Curtis Gets Lifetime Golden Lion Award at Venice Film Fest – Brandy McDonnell reports

July 14, 2021July 18, 2021 Brandy McDonnell Golden Lion, halloween kills, Laurie Strode, lifetime achievement, the week in women, twiw, Venice International Film Festival

Iconic American actress Jamie Lee Curtis has been selected to receive the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 78th Venice International Film Festival, set for Sept. 1-11 in Italy. The award ceremony of the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement will take place on Sept. 8 in the Sala Grande of the Palazzo del Cinema (Lido di Venezia) before the out-of-competition screening of Curtis’ new movie Halloween Kills