Since 2006, the Union of Rationalist Atheists and Agnostics (UAAR) has presented an annual award for the best film screened at the Venice International Film Festival.
The Brian Award, named after the famous Monty Python satirical film Brian of Nazareth, reaches its historic 20th edition this year. The award is given to the movie that best promotes a secular worldview and which, through the lens of the UAAR’s social aims, highlights the values associated with secularism: rationality and scientific thought, democracy, plu28ralism, self-determination, freedom of conscience, expression and research, the principle of equal opportunities in public institutions for all citizens, without discrimination on the grounds of sex, gender identity, sexual orientation or philosophical or religious beliefs, as well as direct opposition to theocracies and fundamentalism based on religious affiliation.
For the 82nd edition of the Festival – scheduled to take place at the Lido of Venice from 27 August to 6 September 2025 – the UAAR will once again be an official participant in the collateral awards, with a jury selected for their artistic and cultural expertise, particularly in the field of cinema.
The jury will be chaired by Paolo Ferrarini, musician and videomaker, alongside:
Enrica Berselli, artist
Glauco Almonte, film critic
Marina Fornasari and Carmelo Lucchesi, art teachers
Irene Tartaglia, film industry professional and review editor
Micaela Grosso and Emanuele Arata, film experts
Maria Teresa Crisigiovanni and Giuseppe Indelicato, curators of visual arts exhibitions
Francesco Crifò, linguist
In times so desperate for voices that courageously stand up for secularism, with this twentieth edition, the Brian Prize consolidates its valuable and concrete presence in the Italian cultural landscape, helping to enhance — even in the universal language of cinema—the importance of freedom of thought.
Press release
