The jury of the Brian Award has awarded Pedro Almodóvar’s The Room Next Door the Brian Award for the 81st edition of the Venice Film Festival.
Spanish director, Pedro Almodóvar, has received the award with great affection and enthusiasm, and has stated to feel very honored for having received this award from an association where, as a self-declared atheist, he sees his beliefs reflected. Through a representative of the El Deseo production company, Pedro Almodóvar sent his words of appreciation to the Uaar.
The motivations
The choice of having a dignified end of life is solely a privilege for those who can afford it. Moreover, when there is a lack of a legal right in a context dominated by clericalism, this dignity is further stigmatized by criminalization. The protagonist of the film possesses the economic and cultural resources to plan her own death, bypassing legal restriction a process that she lives with serenity, devoid of second thoughts or metaphysical preoccupations, taking advantage of the opportunity to confront the past and re-establish human connections. This is an example of how a secular approach to death can become a celebration of life.
The Jury of the Brian Award
The president of the Brain Award jury is Paolo Ferrarini, accompanied by other illustrious jury members selected by the Uaar in light of their competences in the cultural and cinematographic realms: Irene Tartaglia, a professional in the film industry and Uaar’s internal communications manager, Enrica Berselli, events manager at UAAR, film critic Glauco Almonte, entertainment expert Carmelo Lucchesi, and Joana Fresu de Azevedo, expert in film promotion and short films.
The jury was joined remotely by: Micaela Gross, who, within the Uaar’s magazine ‘Nessun Dogma’ writes about cinema, and Emanuele Albera. From Mestre, journalist Maria Teresa Crisigiocanni and art teacher Giuseppe Indelicato, joined by the members of the Venice club, have viewed and evaluated through secular lenses the movies partaking in the competition.
Press Release
