Lion of the Future
| Lion of the Future | |
|---|---|
 2025 recipient: Nastia Korkia | |
| Awarded for | Best first feature film |
| Country | Italy |
| Presented by | Venice Film Festival |
| First award | 1999 |
| Currently held by | Short Summer by Nastia Korkia (2025) |
The Lion of the Future, also known as Luigi De Laurentiis Award for a Debut Film, is an official award of the Venice Film Festival. Inspired by Cannes' Caméra d'Or, it is awarded to the best first feature film work presented in any section of the festival.
As of 2026, the winner receives a cash prize of $100,000 USD, which is divided equally between the director and the producer.[1]
Among its winners are: Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, Abdellatif Kechiche, Andrey Zvyagintsev, Brady Corbet, Xavier Legrand and Alice Diop.
Winners
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1990s
[edit]| Year | English Title | Original Title | Director | Production Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | This Is the Garden | Questo è il giardino | Giovanni Maderna | Italy |
2000s
[edit]| Year | English Title | Original Title | Director | Production Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Poetical Refugee | La Faute à Voltaire | Abdellatif Kechiche | France |
| 2001 | Bread and Milk | Kruh in mleko | Jan Cvitkovic and Danijel Hocevar | Slovenia |
| 2002 | Two Friends | Due Amici | Spiro Scimone and Francesco Sframeli | Italy |
| Roger Dodger | Dylan Kidd | United States | ||
| 2003 | The Return | Возвращение | Andrey Zvyagintsev | Russia |
| 2004 | The Great Journey | Le Grand Voyage | Ismaël Ferroukhi | France, Morocco, Bulgaria, Turkey |
| 2005 | 13 Tzameti | Géla Babluani | France | |
| 2006 | Khadak | Jessica Woodworth and Peter Brosens | Belgium, Germany, Holland | |
| 2007 | The Zone | La zona | Rodrigo Plá | Spain, Mexico |
| 2008 | Mid-August Lunch | Pranzo di ferragosto | Gianni Di Gregorio | Italy |
| 2009 | Clash | Engkwentro | Pepe Diokno | Philippines |
2010s
[edit]| Year | English Title | Original Title | Director | Production Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Majority | Cogunluk | Seren Yüce | Turkey |
| 2011 | Là-bas: A Criminal Education | Là-bas - Educazione criminale | Guido Lombardi | Italy |
| 2012 | Mold | Küf | Ali Aydin | Turkey, Germany |
| 2013 | White Shadow | Noaz Deshe | Italy, Germany, Tanzania | |
| 2014 | Court | Chaitanya Tamhane | India | |
| 2015 | The Childhood of a Leader | Brady Corbet | United States, United Kingdom, Hungary, Sweden, France, Canada, Belgium | |
| 2016 | The Last of Us | آخر واحد فينا | Ala Eddine Slim | Lebanon, Qatar, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates |
| 2017 | Custody | Jusqu'à la garde | Xavier Legrand | France |
| 2018 | The Day I Lost My Shadow | يوم أضعت ظلي | Soudade Kaadan | Syria, Lebanon, France, Qatar |
| 2019 | You Will Die at Twenty | ستموت في العشرين | Amjad Abu Alala | Sudan, France, Egypt, Germany, Norway |
2020s
[edit]| Year | English Title | Original Title | Director | Production Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Listen[2] | Ana Rocha de Sousa | United Kingdom, Portugal | |
| 2021 | Immaculate[3] | Imaculat | Monica Stan and George Chiper-Lillemark | Romania |
| 2022 | Saint Omer[4] | Alice Diop | France | |
| 2023 | Love Is a Gun[5] | 愛是一把槍 | Lee Hong-chi | Hong Kong, Taiwan |
| 2024 | Familiar Touch[6] | Sarah Friedland | United States | |
| 2025 | Short Summer[7] | Nastia Korkia | Germany, France, Serbia | |
Other winners
[edit]Special mentions
[edit]| Year | English Title | Original Title | Director | Production Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Bye Bye Africa | Mahamat-Saleh Haroun | Chad, France | |
| 2004 | Saimir | Francesco Munzi | Italy | |
| 2006 | 7 Years | 7 Ans | Jean-Pascal Hattu | France |
References
[edit]- ↑ "Biennale Cinema 2026 | The juries of Orizzonti and the Venice Award for a Debut Film". La Biennale di Venezia. 13 July 2026. Retrieved 13 July 2026.
- ↑ "Venice Film Festival 2020 Winners: Nomadland Takes Golden Lion, Vanessa Kirby Is Best Actress". IndieWire. 12 September 2020. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
- ↑ "French Abortion Drama 'Happening' Wins Venice Film Festival". The Hollywood Reporter. 11 September 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
- ↑ "Venice Film Festival Winners: Cate Blanchett, Colin Farrell Take Top Acting Prizes – Updating Live". Deadline Hollywood. 10 September 2022. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
- ↑ Tartaglione, Nancy; Ntim, Zac (9 September 2023). "Venice Winners: Golden Lion Goes To Yorgos Lanthimos For 'Poor Things'; Hamaguchi, Sarsgaard, Spaeny Also Score — Full List". Deadline. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
- ↑ Wiseman, Nancy Tartaglione,Andreas (7 September 2024). "Venice Winners: Pedro Almodóvar's 'The Room Next Door' Wins The Golden Lion; Also Wins For Nicole Kidman, Brady Corbet, 'I'm Still Here' & More". Deadline. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ↑ Tartaglione, Nancy (6 September 2025). "Venice Film Festival – Jim Jarmusch's 'Father Mother Sister Brother' Is Golden Lion Winner; 'Voice Of Hind Rajab' Takes Grand Jury Prize; Benny Safdie Best Director For 'The Smashing Machine'". Deadline. Retrieved 6 September 2025.
