US film Nomadland triumphs at Venice Film Festival

Frances McDormand (left) and Chloé Zhao (centre) accepted the Golden Lion prize via Zoom from California

US film Nomadland has won the top prize at the Venice Film Festival, the first such event held with live audiences since the Covid-19 outbreak.

The film, by Chinese-born Chloé Zhao, stars Frances McDormand as a widow living as a nomad after the 2008 financial crisis.

Mexican director Michel Franco's thriller New Order and historic drama Wife of a Spy by Japan's Kiyoshi Kurosawa were also recognised.

Guests had to wear masks at screenings.

About half of the seats at the venues on the Lido waterfront were left empty, and few celebrities made the trip to the world's oldest film festival.

Cate Blanchett was the jury president in the lagoon city

Australian actress Cate Blanchett, who headed the jury at the 77th edition of the festival, said the winner had been chosen after "healthy and robust" deliberations by the jury members.

"Good discussion is good discussion with a mask or not," she said.

Zhao, who is the first woman to win the festival's top award, the Golden Lion, in 10 years, and McDormand were speaking via Zoom from California.

"Thank you so much for letting us come to your festival in this weird, weird, weird world and way," McDormand said.

Chloé Zhao at the drive-in premier of Nomadland on Friday

The festival's Grand Jury prize went to Franco's film, while Kurosawa was named the best director. They were jointly given the Silver Lions.

Russian director Andrei Konchalovsky was given the Special Jury prize for Dear Comrades!, a film about the massacre of protesters in the USSR in 1962.

Britain's Vanessa Kirby won the best actress award, while the best actor prize went to Italy's Pierfrancesco Favino.

Last year, Joker, starring Joaquin Phoenix, won the festival's top prize.

• Joker and Roman Polanski win at Venice festival

The annual gathering in the Italian city is one of the "big three" film festivals, alongside Cannes and Berlin.

The Berlin festival took place as scheduled from 20 February to 1 March.

But organisers of the Cannes festival - which had been due in May - were forced to postpone the event due to the coronavirus outbreak.