- Golden Lion
The "Leone d’Oro" ( _en. 'Golden Lion') is the highest prize given to a film at the Biennale
Venice Film Festival . The prize was introduced in 1949 by the organizing committee and is now regarded as one of the film industry's most distinguished prizes. In 1970, a second Golden Lion was introduced; this is an honorary award for people who have made an important contribution to cinema.The prize was introduced in 1949 as the Golden Lion of St. Mark. [cite web | author= | title=Biennale Cinema History of the Venice Film Festival: The Forties and Fifties | url=http://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/history/50/en/4792.html | publisher=La Biennale di Venezia | date=2008 | accessdate=2008-05-28] Previously, the equivalent prize was the "Gran Premio Internazionale di Venezia" (Grand International Prize of Venice), awarded in 1947 and 1948. Before that, from 1934 until 1942, the highest awards were the "Coppa Mussolini" (Mussolini Cups) for Best Italian Film and Best Foreign Film.
No Golden Lions were awarded between 1969 and 1979. According to the Biennale's official website, this hiatus was a result of the 1968 Lion being awarded to the radically experimental ""; the website says that the awards "still had a statute dating back to the fascist era and could not side-step the general political climate. Sixty-eight produced a dramatic fracture with the past." [cite web | author= | title=Biennale Cinema History of the Venice Film Festival: The Sixties and Seventies | url=http://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/history/60/en/4794.html | publisher=La Biennale di Venezia | date=2008 | accessdate=2008-05-28]
Grand International Prize of Venice
ee also
* "Leone d’Argento" (Silver Lion)
References
External links
* [http://www.labiennale.org/en/ La Biennale di Venezia offical website]
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