LIST: Pedro Almodovar’s end-of-life film, other winners of the 81st Venice Film Festival

September 8, 2024 | 11:42am

VENICE, Italy — Spain’s Pedro Almodovar won Venice’s Golden Lion award Saturday for his pro-euthanasia film “The Room Next Door,” with the acting prizes going to Nicole Kidman and Frenchman Vincent Lindon.

The female friendship end-of-life film starring Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore was Almodovar’s first English-language feature-length film.

In the film — which like many of Almodovar’s hinges on strong female characters — Swinton plays a war correspondent suffering from terminal cancer. She asks her friend, played by Moore, to be at her side when she takes her own life.

“I believe saying goodbye to this world cleanly and with dignity is a fundamental right of every human being,” Almodovar told the audience after accepting his award. “It is not a political issue, but a human one.”

He acknowledged that “this right goes against any religion or creed that has God as the only source of life.”

“I would ask practitioners of any creed to respect and not intervene in individual decisions in this regard,” said the prolific director, whose films in recent years have considered themes of death or physical decline.

President of the jury, French actor Isabelle Huppert, said the film tackled important issues thoughtfully and without melodrama. She paid tribute, too, to the performances of the two lead actors.

Almodovar was honored by Venice with a career achievement award five years ago.

The 81st edition of the Venice Film Festival concluded on Saturday with the award ceremony.