Todd Phillips‘ upcoming Joker movie picked up the famed Gold Lion award last night, which means that the man behind The Hangover parts one to three is now the recipient of the Venice Film Festival‘s top prize. What a time to be alive.
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The film, which stars Joaquin Phoenix as a tortured comedian who becomes the famed villain, was very well-received earlier in the festival, copping an eight-minute standing ovation at its premiere. The Hollywood Reporter raved about his performance, saying:
“This is Phoenix’s film, and he inhabits it with an insanity by turns pitiful and fearsome in an out-there performance that’s no laughing matter.”
Joker beat out such films as James Gray‘s Ad Astra and Steven Soderbergh‘s The Laundromat to claim the top honours. When accepting the award, an emotional Todd Philips said:
“I want to thank Warner Bros. and DC for stepping out of their comfort zone and taking a big swing on me.”
The Silver Lion, for best director, was won by Swedish filmmaker Roy Andersson for About Endlessnessi. The Grand Jury Prize, which is considered to be the runner-up award behind the Gold Lion, went to Roman Polanski‘s An Officer And A Spy.
Polanski, whose inclusion in the festival was the cause of some controversy, was not there to pick up the prize.
