And the winner is Father Mother Sister Brother.

The Venice Film Festival ended its star-studded festivities by crowning Jim Jarmusch’s Father Mother Sister Brother — about siblings who reunite after years apart, forced to confront unresolved tensions and reevaluate their strained relationships with their emotionally distant parents — the prestigious Golden Lion for Best Film, in a bit of a surprise.

“Art does not have to address politics directly to be political,” said Jarmusch. “It can engender empathy and a connection between us, which is really the first step to solving the problems that we have.”

The grand jury prize went to The Voice of Hind Rajab. Director Kaouther Ben Hania’s film, which is Tunisia’s Oscar submission, had been the toast of the festival, earning a record 22-minute standing ovation. “I dedicate this award to the Palestinian residents and to all those who have risked everything to save lives in Gaza,” said Ben Hania. “We all believe in the force of cinema. It’s what gathers us here tonight and gives us the courage to tell stories that might otherwise be buried.”

Lady Gaga and Sabrina Carpenter 77th Creative Arts Emmys

The Silver Lion best director prize was awarded to Benny Safdie for The Smashing Machine, who called it “the honor of a lifetime.”

“This is a dream come true,” said Safdie. “I wanted this movie to be an exercise in radical empathy. And if we can empathize with somebody who seems invincible, then we can empathize with anybody, and empathy right now is more important than ever.” He also called out star Dwayne Johnson for “diving in headfirst with a blindfold and X-ray vision and no net.”

Toni Servillo was named best actor for his starring role in Paolo Sorrentino’s La Grazia, about an Italian president in his final term, facing tough decisions about whether to sign a controversial euthanasia law and grant clemency to two prisoners. Italy has yet to make its official selection for international feature for the Oscars, but La Grazia is considered a strong contender. Xin Zhilei was named best actress for her role in Chinese director Shangjun Cai’s The Sun Rises on Us All. China has yet to make its selection as well.

While the top prize at Venice can provide a welcome boost to a film’s profile, especially in a competitive season, it has a mixed track record as a predictor of major awards. Last year’s winner was Pedro Almodovar’s The Room Next Door, which was ultimately ignored by the Academy. But just a year earlier, Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things fared far better, earning 11 Oscar nominations and winning four.

The ceremony was marked by several impassioned speeches calling out the conflict in Gaza. “Politics might fail, but art is and will always be a home for justice, freedom and humanity,” said director Maryam Touzani, who won the audience award for her film Calle Malaga.

The main competition jury was chaired by Alexander Payne (The Holdovers), and included Stéphane Brizé from France (Out of Season), Maura Delpero from Italy (Vermiglio), Cristian Mungiu from Romania (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days), Mohammad Rasoulof from Iran (The Seed of the Sacred Fig), Fernanda Torres from Brazil (I’m Still Here), and Zhao Tao from China (Caught by the Tides). The jury for the Horizons section, which focuses on debut films and highlights the latest trends aesthetic and expressive trends in film, was led by Julia Ducournau (Titane).

Here is the full list of winners:

COMPETITION

Golden Lion for Best Film: Father Mother Sister Brother

Grand Jury Prize: The Voice of Hind Rajab

Silver Lion for Best Director: Benny Safdie, The Smashing Machine

Special Jury Prize: Below the Clouds (Sottoe Le Nuvole), Gianfranco Rossi

Best Screenplay: At Work (A Pied D’Oeuvre), Valerie Donzelli and Gilles Marchand

Best Actor: Toni Servillo, La Grazia

Best Actress: Xin Zhilei, The Sun Rises on Us All

Best Young Actor/Actress: Luna Wedler, Silent Friend

Debut Film: Short Summer, Nastia Korkia

Audience Award: Calle Malaga, Maryam Touzani

HORIZONS

Best Film: On the Road (En El Camino), David Pablos

Best Director: Anuparna Roy, Songs of Forgotten Trees

Special Jury Prize: Lost Land (Hara Watan), Akio Fujimoto 

Best Actor: Giacomo Covi, A Year of School (Un Anno di Scuola)

Best Actress: Benedetta Porcaroli, The Kidnapping of Arabella (Il Rapimento di Arabella)

Best Screenplay: The Ivy (Hiedra), Ana Cristina Barragan

Best Short Film: Without Kelly, Lovisa Sirén

VENICE CLASSICS

Best Documentary: Mata Hari, Joe Beshenkovsky and James A. Smith

Best Restored Film: Bashu, The Little Stranger (Bashu, Gharibeye Koochak), Bahram Beizai

VENICE IMMERSIVE

Grand Prize: The Clouds Are Two Thousands Meters Up, Singing Chen

Special Jury Prize: Less Than 5Gr of Safran, Négar Motevalymeidanshah

Achievement Prize: A Long Goodbye, Kate Voet and Victor Maes