Lav Diaz is a Filipino who won the Golden Lion for Best Film at the 73rd Venice Film Festival.
As he accepted the award, he said, "It looks beautiful. This is for my country, for the Filipino people, for our struggle and for the struggle of humanity. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much."
Fashion designer Tom Ford's thriller "Nocturnal Animals" was runner-up Grand Jury. The Best Director award was shared by Russia's Andrei Konchalovsky for the Holocaust drama "Paradise" and Mexico's Amat Escalante for "The Untamed."
In "Nocturnal Animals" stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Amy Adams played dual roles as a once-married couple and as the protagonists in the novel, one of them has written.
Argentina's Oscar Martinez won the Best Actor award for his performance in the comedy-drama "The Distinguished Citizen." For her role in the musical "La La Land," Emma Stone took the Best Actress prize.
Lav Diaz didn't intend for the movie to be a film festival entry. However, he didn't close his doors to entering one.
The movie was shot in Calapan, Mindoro. It was inspired by Leo Tolstoy's short story "God Sees the Truth, But Waits."
The movie is about a teacher who was jailed from a false accusation. She seeks revenge upon release from prison.
Other winners of the festival are Noah Oppenheimer Best Screenplay of "Jackie," special jury prize for Ana Lily Amirpour, and Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best New Young Actor or Actress to Paula Beer.
The 73rd annual Venice International Film Festival was held from Aug. 31 to Sept. 10, 2016. Director Sam Mendes was the President of the Jury for the main competition.