Movies
Dame Helen Mirren has won best actress and Ben Affleck best actor at the Venice Film Festival.
The 61-year-old Brit played Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen, a controversial film about the reaction of the Royals to Princess Diana's death. The movie itself was named best screenplay. Mirren commented: "It's always terrifying seeing your movie take its first steps, but its an incredible honour for our film to take them at the Venice festival."
She paid tribute to screenwriter Peter Morgan and director Stephen Frears. Picking up his award, Morgan joked: "Thank you Tony Blair for timing your political disintegration with the release of our film."
Affleck was recognised for his portrayal of American actor George Reeves, who played Superman in the 1950s, in Hollywoodland.
Surprise winner of the Golden Lion best film prize was Still Life, a Chinese film about the impact of the Three Gorges Dam on lives in the country. Head of the judges Catherine Deneuve said it was "a very special film", acknowledging "the beauty of the cinematography and the quality of the story, without getting political".
She added: "We were very touched and we were very moved." The Queen had previously been a favourite for the Golden Lion which was last year won by Brokeback Mountain.
The 61-year-old Brit played Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen, a controversial film about the reaction of the Royals to Princess Diana's death. The movie itself was named best screenplay. Mirren commented: "It's always terrifying seeing your movie take its first steps, but its an incredible honour for our film to take them at the Venice festival."
She paid tribute to screenwriter Peter Morgan and director Stephen Frears. Picking up his award, Morgan joked: "Thank you Tony Blair for timing your political disintegration with the release of our film."
Affleck was recognised for his portrayal of American actor George Reeves, who played Superman in the 1950s, in Hollywoodland.
Surprise winner of the Golden Lion best film prize was Still Life, a Chinese film about the impact of the Three Gorges Dam on lives in the country. Head of the judges Catherine Deneuve said it was "a very special film", acknowledging "the beauty of the cinematography and the quality of the story, without getting political".
She added: "We were very touched and we were very moved." The Queen had previously been a favourite for the Golden Lion which was last year won by Brokeback Mountain.
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