Lav Diaz’s ‘The Woman Who Left’ (‘Ang Babaeng Humayo’) has won the Golden Lion award for Best Film at the 73rd Venice Film Festival.

It tells the story of a woman who has to readjust to life in her socially destroyed homeland after unfairly spending 30 years in jail.

The Filipino filmmaker adds to an impressive international awards collection, which includes Best Picture at the Singapore International Film Festival, among others.



US fashion designer Tom Ford was runner-up, winning a Silver Lion, for his film, ‘Nocturnal Animals’.

The award for best director was tied between Mexico’s Amat Escalante for The Untamed and Russia’s Andrei Konchalovsky for his holocaust drama, ‘Rai’ (‘Paradise’). A tale of love and loss, the German-Russian co-production centres on the relationship between a concentration camp inmate and SS officer.

The Best Actress prize went to Emma Stone for her performance in the musical ‘La La Land’, while Argentine actor Oscar Martinez was named Best Actor for his role in the comedy-drama ‘El Ciudadano illustre’ (The Distinguished Citizen’).