The 19. Queer Lion Award – collateral award of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, ideated in 2007 by Daniel N. Casagrande – has been awarded to En nel camino by David Pablos, presented in Orizzonti.
Motivation:
For the courage of producer Inna Payán in endorsing a project set within a world dominated by a machista subculture marked by violence and homophobia.
For the audacity of director David Pablos in his portrayal of a carnal, explicit, authentic, and unfiltered sexuality.
For the moving depiction of a pure love that unites two men, two solitudes, and two vulnerabilities that discover one another, embrace one another, and ultimately redeem one another: Queer Lion Award 2025 to En el camino by David Pablos.
David Pablos: “My film portrays a romantic relationship between two men within a hostile, violent setting — the world of truck drivers and highways — governed by the rules of heteronormativity and hypermasculinity. The story delves into the emotional limitations of the main characters, shaped by the machismo that dictates how they are expected to behave both socially and intimately.”
The jury chose the winner among the following 10 titles:
After the Hunt by Luca Guadagnino (Usa, 139’)
En el camino by David Pablos (Mexico, 93’)
Estrany riu (Strange River) by Jaume Claret Muxart (Spain, Germany, 103’)
Dark Rooms by Mads Damsbo, Laurits Flensted Jensen, Anne Sofie Steen Sverdrup (Denmark, Germany, Taipei, 35’)
Constantinopoliad by Sister Sylvester, Nadah El Shazly (Uk, Greece, 55’)
Arkoudotrypa (Bearcave) by Stergios Dinopoulos, Krysianna B. Papadakis (Greece, 127’)
La Gioia by Nicolangelo Gelormini (Italy, 108’)
Anoche Conquisté Tebas (Last Night I Conquered the City of Thebes) by Gabriel Azorín (Spain, Portugal, 106’)
Gorgonà by Evi Kalogiropoulou (Greece, France, 95’)
100 Nights of Hero by Julia Jackman (Uk, 90’)
19. Queer Lion was awarded by a jury composed by members of the Board of Queer Lion Association; Daniel N. Casagrande, journalist and film critic, member of the National Italian Film Critics Association, creator and founder of the award; Marco Busato, contributor for Radio Capodistria; Jani Kuštrin, cultural operator; Adriano Virone, LGBTQ activist.
Queer Lion Award winner will be crowned during the award ceremony of the Venice International Film Critics’ Week, on Friday, September 5th, at 7PM, at Casa I Wonder, Lido di Venezia. Access to the ceremony is strictly by invitation.
