A nearly four-hour long movie about a woman’s thirst for revenge and her feelings of forgiveness after 30 years in jail for a crime she did not commit won the Venice Film Festival’s top prize yesterday. Director Lav Diaz has described Ang Babaeng Humayo as a testimony to the struggles of the Philippines after centuries of colonial rule.
Lav Diaz’s new film, “Ang Babaeng Humayo” (Woman Who Left) won the prestigious Golden Lion award in the Main Competition of the 73rd Venice International Film, a report from Variety magazine website and ABS-CBN official Twitter account said early Sunday.
The Golden Lion (Leone d’Oro in Italain) is the highest prize given at what is considered the oldest film festival in the world.
In a report by Variety’s Nick Vivarelli, he wrote Diaz thanked the jury headed by Sam Mendez, saying “This is for my country, for the Filipino people; for our struggle and the struggle of humanity.”
Diaz, who at the Berlin Film Festival in February had premiered a film that ran over eight hours, said he hoped the latest recognition would create more appreciation for longer movies.
Twenty U.S. and international movies featuring top Hollywood talent and auteur directors were in competition at the world’s oldest film festival, in its 73rd outing this year. The event is seen as a launching pad for the industry’s award season.