The film about a Palestinian girl's terror of being murdered is a favorite for the Golden Lion.

With its things almost packed up and ready to head home, the 82nd edition of the Venice Film Festival is burning its last bullets. The Italian film festival hasn't abandoned its goal, which it set for itself since it saw itself in full decline a few years ago: to become internationally relevant. And yes, they've achieved it this year too.

The powerful films of the early days signed by well-known names ( Paolo Sorrentino, Guillermo Del Toro, Olivier Assayas, Noah Baumbach, Park Chan-wook, Valérie Donzelli, Yorgos Lanthimos, or Gianfranco Rosi ), were followed by other productions that raised all kinds of reactions, and we have also witnessed the opening of new horizons – with the GPS pointing to the Oscars -, such as that of superstar Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson , star of The Smashing Machine , by Benny Safdie.

At this point, of the directors named, only La Grazia , Frankenstein , No Other Choice , and The Magician of the Kremlin seem likely to be nominated for this Saturday's awards. And judging by the filmography of jury president Alexander Payne , we can't rule out at least one nomination for the French production À Pied d' Œuvre , about the dilemma between job insecurity and vocation.

Who will take home the Golden Lion? That's the question. With the closing ceremony just hours away, there are more questions than answers, as anything is possible. With political tensions and wars raging, the jury's decision carries not only artistic weight; it will also be a statement of a political position , potentially producing seismic shifts in the global audiovisual industry. Let's look at some irrefutable facts, such as the one involving the Tunisian-French production The Voice of Hind Rajab .

Its run in Venice has already entered the Mostra's historical annals. Written and directed by Tunisian Kaouther ben Hania , the reasons behind this claim go beyond the 21 (or was it 22?) minutes of standing ovation after the premiere gala; it also has little to do with the showy producers ( Brad Pitt, Alfonso Cuarón , as well as Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara , the latter two present at Venice).

Ben Hania touches on a theme that has been the elephant in the Lladró figurine warehouse throughout the festival: the genocide in the Palestinian Strip . And she does so through a story that reflects a true event , when on January 29, 2024, Hind Rajab, a six-year-old girl, contacted the Red Crescent for help; she was hiding in a car in Gaza , right in the line of fire, surrounded by her family (her uncles and her three children) waiting to be shot.

Not a single drop of blood or violence , revenge, or hatred is evident, nor is there any allusion to the Israeli government. The film is a reconstruction of those harrowing and horrific moments, featuring Hind Rajab's original voice, and also shows the countless obstacles a rescue team faces, with the implicit conflict of the lives they may cost.

The film is a reconstruction of those harrowing and horrifying moments, with the original voice of Hind Rajab.

Hind Rajab's voice is absolutely haunting. Every screening at the Venice Lido (which was heavily guarded) left viewers in tears and grief . Beyond the film's cinematic achievements, the fact that it's among the favorites to win at least one of the big prizes at this year's Venice Film Festival lies much more in its undeniable relevance and urgency.

Bigelow attacks the US

In addition to Kaouther ben Hania, the other woman who has come to Venice to shake us up is Kathryn Bigelow with A House of Dynamite (one of the three Netflix films in competition). The first director to win an Oscar for Best Director for The Hurt Locker (2010) hasn't abandoned her political streak, this time relying on a script by journalist Noah Oppenheim , an expert in government intricacies.

With this ensemble story ( Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson , Anthony Ramos, Tracy Leffs , among others, are in the cast), Bigelow poses a scenario that, judging by the daily news, is not at all far-fetched: the United States, with no apparent allies, is attacked by an unidentified enemy, condemned to the disappearance of some cities by a nuclear missile.

Cinematically dizzying, thematically terrifying, Kathryn Bigelow's film, celebrated at the Venice Film Festival, is among the favorites for the awards. After eight years of absence from the cinema, her return is undoubtedly overwhelming.

The Mostra has given us a surprise with 'Silent Friend', by the Hungarian Ildikó Enyeni, about a ginkgo tree that sees the lives of three generations pass by.

And just when we thought we had a look at the possible winners, the Mostra has given us a surprise with Silent Friend by Ildikó Enyeni. An immense, ancient ginkgo tree planted in a botanical garden in a German university city bears witness to the passing of time and the lives of three characters from different eras (the first female university student in 1908, a young literature student in 1972, and a neuroscientist from Hong Kong in 2020). Enyeni explores science from a more human perspective.

The predictions have therefore been rewritten, reformulated, recalibrated, and thwarted... because the Hungarian director's fascinating and immense proposal, in addition to being one of the great films of this edition, has literally blown our minds.