Nomadland was one of the strongest pre-favorites for the festival's finest award.

The protagonist Frances McDormand's contribution as a widow from a sleepy mining town in Nevada who finds a new life along the American roads is also tipped to be a strong Oscar candidate in the acting category next year.

The competition is certainly less fierce this year, given that the corona pandemic has paralyzed the entire film industry.

Recordings have been stopped and major events, such as the Cannes Film Festival, were canceled.

"Important experiment"

The 77th edition of the Venice Film Festival was therefore an "important experiment", according to festival director Alberto Barbera.

- If it turns out that these measures are effective, then maybe we can return to some kind of normality and organize other types of film events, he told TT in connection with the festival's inauguration.

The festival jury, led by Australian actor Cate Blanchett, presented the festival's second most prestigious awards in the form of the jury's grand prize and the Silver Lion for the films New order, directed by the Mexican director Michel Franco, and to Wife of a spy directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa from Japan (which is not related to the legendary Japanese director Akira Kurosawa).