- Fans hail Trump's 'guts' as he returns to site of rally shooting
- Lebanon state media says 'very violent' Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Guardians maul Tigers, miracle Mets rally in MLB series openers
- Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Miami on track for MLS record points after win in Toronto
- Madrid beat Villarreal but Carvajal suffers knee injury
- Madrid beat Villarreal to move level with Liga leaders Barcelona
- Monaco take top spot in Ligue 1 with win at Rennes
- French rugby player on rape charge whistled but 'serene' on return
- Madrid beat Villarreal to level Liga leaders Barca
- Thuram treble fires Inter past Torino and up to second
- 'Fight': defiant Trump jets in to site of rally shooting
- Toddler among 3 dead in migrant Channel crossings
- Mexico City's new mayor sworn in with pledges on water, housing
- Israel on alert ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Guardians maul Tigers in MLB playoff series opener
- Macron criticises Israel on Gaza, Lebanon operations
- French rugby player whistled but 'serene' on return amid ongoing rape case
- Kovacic stars as Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- Retegui hat-trick fires five-star Atalanta to hammering of Genoa
- Heavyweights Australia, England off to World Cup winning starts
- Visiting UN refugee agency chief decries 'terrible crisis' in Lebanon
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- Search continues for missing in deadly Bosnia floods
- Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
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- A 'forgotten' valley in storm-hit North Carolina, desperate for help
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- In dank Tour of Emilia, Pogacar shines in rainbow jersey
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Almodovar wins top Venice prize for end-of-life film
Spain's Pedro Almodovar won Venice's Golden Lion award Saturday for his pro-euthanasia film "The Room Next Door", with the acting prizes gong to Nicole Kidman and veteran Frenchman Vincent Lindon.
The female friendship end-of-life film starring Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore was Almodovar's first English-language feature-length film.
Kidman was awarded the best actress award for her fearless turn as a CEO who has an affair with an intern in the erotic thriller "Babygirl", but she was unable to collect the prize following the sudden death of her mother.
"My heart is broken," said the Australian actress in a statement read onstage on her behalf by the film's Dutch director, Halina Reijn.
"I'm in shock, and I have to go to my family. But this award is for her. She shaped me, she guided me, and she made me," she said.
Kidman was praised by critics during the 10-day festival for her no-holds-barred performance in the sexually explicit film about female desire and power relationships.
In Almodovar's winning film -- which like many of his films hinges on strong female characters -- Swinton plays a war correspondent suffering from terminal cancer. She asks her friend, played by Moore, to be at her side when she takes her own life.
- A 'human' issue -
"I believe saying goodbye to this world cleanly and with dignity is a fundamental right of every human being," Almodovar told the audience after accepting his award. "It is not a political issue, but a human one."
He acknowledged that "this right goes against any religion or creed that has God as the only source of life".
"I would ask practitioners of any creed to respect and not intervene in individual decisions in this regard," said the prolific director, whose films in recent years have considered themes of death or physical decline.
Almodovar was honoured by Venice with a career achievement award five years ago.
The Grand Jury Prize, considered a runner-up to the Golden Lion, went to Italian film "Vermiglio" from director Maura Delpero, about the effects of World War Two on an isolated mountain village.
Veteran French actor Vincent Lindon won the best actor award for "The Quiet Son". Lindon, in "The Quiet Son", plays a single father struggling to prevent his teenage son from being swept up in far-right extremism.
He won against well-received performances from former Bond actor Daniel Craig and from Adrien Brody.
- Stars galore -
The winners were among 21 contenders vying for the top prize in the festival that swarmed with top Hollywood talent, from Angelina Jolie to George Clooney.
Venice's red carpet this season saw likes of Lady Gaga, starring with Joaquin Phoenix in the sequel to Todd Phillips' antihero "Joker" film, as well as Brad Pitt, whose action comedy "Wolfs" with Clooney premiered out of competition.
Jolie took on the role of opera diva Maria Callas in Pablo Larrain's "Maria".
Films this year did not shy away from difficult subject matter, whether contemporary or historical.
Abortion ("April"), white supremacy ("The Order"), the Mafia ("Sicilian Letters") and enforced disappearances and killings during Brazil's military dictatorship ("I'm Still Here") were all examined in the main competition films.
Several films explored war and its crushing repercussions, whether documentaries on the war in Ukraine or the conflict between Israel and Palestinians.
Among the most controversial was "Russians at War" from Russian-Canadian filmmaker Anastasia Trofimova, who went behind the lines of the Ukraine war with Russian soldiers.
"Russian soldiers are not someone whose voices are heard," Trofimova told journalists ahead of the screening.
But the film prompted outrage in Ukrainian cultural and political circles for its inclusion at Venice, with many casting it as a pro-Kremlin film seeking to whitewash Russia's assault.
The festival also honoured American actress Sigourney Weaver and Australian director Peter Weir with lifetime achievement awards.
M.A.Colin--AMWN