As the world’s oldest film festival—not to mention one of the most prestigious—the Venice Film Festival has always been a step ahead of the rest, and many of the recipients of its top prize, the Golden Lion, have gone on to transform the cinematic landscape.
Among them are European arthouse gems from the likes of directors Agnès Varda and Michelangelo Antonioni, but also defining works of world cinema that brought greater global attention to auteurs such as Andrei Tarkovsky, Ang Lee, and Guillermo del Toro. Regardless of their country of origin, these films all possess a ravishing visual style, themes that speak to the cultural zeitgeist, and a sense of humanity that makes them timeless.
Ahead of the festival’s 81st edition, due to run from August 28 to September 7, we choose nine unmissable winners from decades past that remain as powerful and relevant today as ever.
Rashomon (1950)
Photo: Daiei/Kobal/Shutterstock
Akira Kurosawa’s astonishing thriller single-handedly raised the profile of Japanese cinema in the west following its triumph at Venice. Set in a sun-dappled forest, it tells the story of a murdered samurai from four differing perspectives, as each character tries to conceal their true intentions.
How to watch: Stream on Max, Apple TV, or Tubi.
Aparajito (1956)
Photo: Courtesy Everett Collection
