“Happening,” a French drama about illegal abortion in the 1960s snatched the Golden Lion award for best picture at the Venice Film Festival on Saturday.
Directed by Audrey Diwan, the movie portrays a young woman desperate to terminate a pregnancy, at a time when it could mean prison or death, in order to be able to continue studying.
Although the movie is set in 1963 France, its central theme remains relevant today, Diwan told the audience, as the debate around women’s reproductive rights continues to rage around the world.
“I did this film with anger, with desire, with my belly, my guts, my heart and my head,” the director said.
Adapted from Annie Ernaux’s autobiographical novel, the movie’s tight framing immerses the audience in the private trauma lived by Anne, the protagonist.
Diwan is the sixth female director to win the Venice showcase, and Happening is the second French movie to snatch the highest award at a major festival since Julia Ducournau’s Titane was awarded the Palme d’Or in Cannes in July.
This year’s Venice festival was marked by many strong women’s stories, as the #MeToo movement appears to make a mark on the cinema industry.
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