Chloe Zhao’s Nomadland, a recession-era road trip drama starring Frances McDormand, won the Golden Lion for best film on Saturday at a slimmed-down Venice film festival, which was held against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic.
A favourite going into the awards season, Nomadland is screening at all the major autumn film festivals in a pandemic-forged alliance involving the Venice, Toronto, New York and Telluride festivals.
In the end, she arrived to collect her Golden Lion lifetime achievement award and to see her out-of-competition film Love After Love make its world premiere.
“Thank you so much for letting us come to your festival in this weird, weird world and way!”