Queer Lion
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/59/Queerlion.jpg/300px-Queerlion.jpg)
The Queer Lion is the trophy awarded starting in 2007 to the “Best Movie with LGBT Themes & Queer Culture” among those presented during the Venice International Film Festival.[1]
History
The idea of the Queer Lion comes from a 2003 interview, made by president of CinemArte association Daniel N. Casagrande for monthly magazine Venezia News, to then-Director of the Venice Film Festival Moritz De Hadeln. During that, Casagrande asked Mr. De Hadeln if the Venice Film Festival would have welcomed an award meant to specifically honor gay-themed movies, the same way Berlin International Film Festival had done 20 years earlier (with Teddy Bear Award). Although the answer was a positive one, the changing of the Festival’s director the following year caused a delay in the development of the project, which was greenlighted by the new director Marco Müller, who declared his will to back and sustain the creation of such a new collateral award.
All the movies containing LGBTQ themes, stories, plots, or characters, presented in any of the sections of the Venice Film Festival are considered eligible for the award. Specifically, these sections are: Concorso (Competition), Fuori Concorso (Out of Competition), Orizzonti (Horizons), Controcampo italiano (Italian Reverse Shot), Giornate degli Autori (Venice Days), and Settimana Internazionale della Critica (International Critics' Week).
The Queer Lion jury, composed of journalists, directors, critics, persons with a deep knowledge of cinema, views all the movies deemed to contain noteworthy LGBTQ elements during the Venice Film Festival, picking the "best film" among them.
Award
Year | Winner | Director | Country | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|
2007 | The Speed of Life | Edward Radtke | United States | [2] |
2008 | One Day in a Life (Un altro pianeta) | Stefano Tummolini | Italy | [3] |
2009 | A Single Man | Tom Ford | United States | [4] |
2010 | In the Future (En el futuro) | Mauro Andrizzi | Argentina | [5] |
2011 | Wilde Salome | Al Pacino | United States | [6] |
2012 | The Weight | Jeon Kyu-hwan | South Korea | [7] |
2013 | Philomena | Stephen Frears | United Kingdom | [8] |
2014 | Summer Nights (Les Nuits d'été) | Mario Fanfani | France | [1] |
2015 | The Danish Girl | Tom Hooper | United States | [9] |
2016 | Heartstone (Hjartasteinn) | Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson | Iceland | [1] |
2017 | Reinventing Marvin (Marvin ou la belle éducation) | Anne Fontaine | France | [1] |
2018 | José | Cheng Li | Guatemala, United States | [10] |
2019 | The Prince (El príncipe) | Sebastián Muñoz | Chile | [11] |
References
- ^ a b c d David Opie, "Venice Film Festival: A Guide To Every Queer Lion Award Winner So Far". Into, August 22, 2018.
- ^ "iW NEWS | Venice Fest Showcases Special Lions". IndieWire, September 10, 2007.
- ^ Ronnie Scheib, "One Day in a Life". Variety, September 23, 2008.
- ^ Michael Jensen, "Tom Ford’s “A Single Man” wins Queer Lion at Venice Film Festival while Colin Firth named Best Actor. Watch Trailer". NewNowNext, September 13, 2009.
- ^ Eric J. Lyman, "'In the Future' wins Venice's Queer Lion". The Hollywood Reporter, September 10, 2010.
- ^ "Al Pacino's 'Wilde Salome' Wins Fifth Queer Lion In Venice". On Top, September 11, 2011.
- ^ Eric J. Lyman, "Venice 2012: Korean Film 'The Weight' Wins Queer Lion Prize". The Hollywood Reporter, September 7, 2012.
- ^ Eric J. Lyman, "Stephen Frears' 'Philomena' Wins Venice Queer Lion Prize as Fest Unveils First Awards". The Hollywood Reporter, September 6, 2013.
- ^ Itay Hod, "Eddie Redmayne’s ‘The Danish Girl’ Wins Venice’s Queer Lion Award as Oscar Buzz Mounts". TheWrap, September 11, 2015.
- ^ Gary Goldstein, "Review: ‘José’ explores a gay love story in Guatemala amid an age of uncertainty". Los Angeles Times, February 6, 2020.
- ^ Boyd van Hoeij, "'The Prince' ('El principe'): Film Review | Venice 2019". The Hollywood Reporter, September 10, 2019.