Queer Lion is the trophy awarded from 2007 to the “Best Movie with LGBT Themes & Queer Culture” among those presented during the Venice International Film Festival

Venice Film Festival

The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...

.

History

The idea of the Queer Lion comes from a 2003 interview, made by president of CinemArte association Daniel N. Casagrande for monthly magazine Venezia News, to then-Director of the Venice Film Festival Moritz De Hadeln. During that, Casagrande asked Mr. De Hadeln if the Venice Film Festival would have welcomed an award meant to specifically honor gay-themed movies, the same way Berlin Film Festival had done 20 years earlier (with Teddy Bear Award). Although the answer was a positive one, the changing of the Festival’s director the following year caused a delay in the development of the project, which was greenlighted by the new director Marco Müller, who declared his will to back and sustain the creation of such a new collateral award.

All the movies containing LGBTQ themes, stories, plots, or characters, presented in any of the sections of the Venice Film Festival are considered eligible for the award. Specifically, these sections are: Concorso (Competition), Fuori Concorso (Out of Competition), Orizzonti (Horizons), Controcampo italiano (Italian Reverse Shot), Giornate degli Autori (Venice Days), and Settimana Internazionale della Critica (International Critics' Week).

The Queer Lion jury, composed of journalists, directors, critics, persons with a deep knowledge of cinema, views all the movies deemed to contain noteworthy LGBTQ elements during the Venice Film Festival, picking the "best film" among them.

Award

Year	Winner	Director
2007 More Queer Lion 2007 The 64th Venice International Film Festival: 1st Queer Lion Award.- Jury:Andrea Occhipinti – President of juryTheater, movie and television actor. Debuted in 1977 as a stage actor, directed by Giancarlo Palermo, in Pierrot fumista. On television, his first acting work was in La vita di Antonio...	The Speed Of Life	Edward Radtke Edward Radtke Edward Radtke is an American film director, screenwriter and film producer.- As screenwriter :*2007 The speed of life*2002 Aime ton père*1999 The dream catcher*1992 Bottom land- As director :*2007 The speed of life...
2008 More Queer Lion 2008 The 65th Venice International Film Festival: 2nd Queer Lion Award-Jury:Tinto Brass – President of juryBorn in Milan, assistant for Roberto Rossellini, debuted as a director in 1963 with “Who Works Is Lost”, a movie influenced by Nouvelle Vague. From 1964 are “My Wife” and “The Flying Saucer”, both...	Un altro pianeta	Stefano Tummolini
2009 More Queer Lion 2009 The 66th Venice International Film Festival: 3rd Queer Lion Award-Jury:Gustav Hofer – Copresident of juryBorn in the Bolzano province, moved to Rome, where he is living since 2000, after graduating in Communication Sciences in Vienna and in Cinema in London. From 2001, works as culture...	A Single Man A Single Man (film) A Single Man is a 2009 drama film based on the novel of the same name by Christopher Isherwood. It is the first film directed by Tom Ford. The film stars Colin Firth, who was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of George Falconer, a depressed gay British university...	Tom Ford Tom Ford Thomas Carlyle "Tom" Ford is an American fashion designer and film director. He gained international fame for his turnaround of the Gucci fashion house and the creation of the Tom Ford label before directing the Oscar-nominated film A Single Man.-Early life :Tom Ford was born August 27, 1961 in...
2010 More	En el futuro	Mauro Andrizzi
2011 More	Wilde Salome Wilde Salome Wilde Salome is 2011 American documentary-drama film written, directed by and starring Al Pacino. An exploration of Oscar Wilde's play Salome, the film premiered at the 68th Venice International Film Festival...	Al Pacino Al Pacino Alfredo James "Al" Pacino is an American film and stage actor and director. He is famous for playing mobsters, including Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy, Tony Montana in Scarface, Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice in Dick Tracy and Carlito Brigante in Carlito's Way, though he has also appeared...