Swedish Film Takes Home the Top Prize at the Venice Film Festival

A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence — (Photo : http://www.royandersson.com/)

Swedish Film Takes Home the Top Prize at the Venice Film Festival

Among all its glitz and glamour, there is the big winner who is the highlight of them all. And at the 71st Venice Film Festival, unusual Swedish comedy-drama "A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence" takes home the top prize, directed by Swedish director Roy Andersson. It was awarded the Golden Lion for Best Film.

The film title refers to a particular painting called, "The Hunters in the Snow" by Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1565) and that its inspiration came from 1948 Italian film "Bicycle Thieves" by Vittorio De Sica. The painting in reference shows some birds on tree branches during wintertime, as if the birds are the audience and witness to what people are doing. This is called by the director as a ‘different way of saying what are we actually doing' and the film revolves around this idea. The film is also the third installment of Andersson's living-trilogy, after "Songs from the Second Floor" and "You, the Living."

The Swedish film's big win made the American feature films bow in disappointment, as films such as "Good Kill," "Manglehorn" starring Al Pacino, "99 Homes," and the opening film "Birdman" all failed to take home awards.

Meanwhile, other winners include Andrej Koncalovskij - The Postman's White Nights (Best Director), The Look of Silence by Joshua Oppenheimer (Grand Jury Prize), Adam Driver - Hungry Hearts (Best Actor), Alba Rohrwacher - Hungry Hearts (Best Actress), and many more.

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