Thirty-eight-year-old Zha is the first woman to win the Golden Lion in ten years. Oscar winner Frances McDormand played the lead role in her film.
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The Venice Festival took place in spite of the coronavirus, although it took place only on a limited basis. Attendance at the hall was halved, those present had to have drapes. Zha and McDormand received the award remotely via video link from the United States. Getting from Venice to the United States was almost impossible due to travel restrictions, leaving Hollywood filmmakers and actors missing in Venice.
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Chloe Zhaová
Photo: Richard Shotwell, ČTK / AP
Fabina jury praised the performance in the film Padrenostro. Kirby impressed with her performance in the film Pieces of a Woman about the relationship of partners after the death of their child at home birth.
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Another award – the Silver Lion for Best Director was given to the Japanese Kiyoshi Kurosawa for the film Wife of a Spy.
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In Venice, 18 films competed for prizes in the main competition, eight of which were directed by women.
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Special protective measures
The festival took place despite the fact that Italy was the epicenter of coronavirus in the spring and that other film festivals, including in Cannes, were canceled due to the epidemic. Some like the one in Toronto or New York take place, but online. Italy managed to manage the epidemic after a strict and long closure, so the organizers of the Venice Festival decided to organize the event.
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However, they ordered protective measures – veils had to be worn inside and outside the halls, spectators and critics had to reserve seats in advance, and the capacity of the hall was reduced. So far, no cases of infection have been reported among spectators, and it was clear that people had complied with both the wearing of veils and the requirement to distance themselves.
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