Updated

Updated · IndieWire · Sep 12

John Malkovich, 'Possible Love' and 'NAZA' Emerge as 2027 Oscar Frontrunners After 3 Venice Prize Wins

Updated

Updated · IndieWire · Sep 12

John Malkovich, 'Possible Love' and 'NAZA' Emerge as 2027 Oscar Frontrunners After 3 Venice Prize Wins

Q: With top honors still pending at the closing ceremony, which highly debated masterpiece ultimately captured the coveted Golden Lion?

The Golden Lion ultimately went to **“NAZA,”** the fiercely debated documentary by **Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor**. The film had emerged as one of the festival’s most talked-about contenders after its Venice premiere drew a record **25-minute standing ovation**. It centers on alleged Israeli military targeting practices in Gaza and features testimony from intelligence and military insiders about AI-assisted surveillance, strikes and civilian casualties. In the final stretch of the 83rd Venice Film Festival, “NAZA” was widely seen as a serious front-runner alongside Lee Chang-dong’s acclaimed **“Possible Love.”** But the combination of its political urgency, extraordinary audience response and strong awards momentum carried it to the festival’s top prize. Its win makes “NAZA” one of the rare documentaries to capture Venice’s highest honor, reinforcing the festival’s reputation for rewarding formally ambitious and politically resonant nonfiction cinema.

3 articles · Updated · IndieWire · Sep 12

John Malkovich moved to the front of the Best Actor race after winning Venice’s Volpi Cup for “Wild Horse Nine,” a Telluride standout that also boosts Searchlight after a rare awards-season shutout last year.
Lee Chang-dong’s “Possible Love” gained major awards momentum with the Grand Jury Prize and the strongest reviews among Venice competition titles, though its Best Picture path may be constrained by Netflix priorities and the Academy’s limited history with non-English contenders.
“NAZA,” which won the Special Jury Prize, is now a leading documentary contender because its Gaza war focus and on-record allegations by IDF soldiers fit the Documentary Branch’s appetite for urgent, politically charged films.
Golden Lion winner “Woman Unknown” is automatically eligible for Best International Feature under new rules, but its lack of a U.S. distributor could hinder any broader Oscar push beyond that category.