Its main award is the "Leone d'Oro" (Golden Lion). Recently, a new award has been added, the San Marco Award for the best film in the "controcorrente" section.
The Venice Film Festival is part of the "Biennale".
The festival in 2003 (26 August to 6 September) was the 60th.
| Year | Film | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | The Return (Vozvrašcenje) | Andrey Zvyaguintsev |
| 2002 | The Magdalene Sisters | Peter Mullan |
| 2001 | Monsoon Wedding | Mira Nair |
| 2000 | The Circle (Dayereh) | Jafar Panahi |
| 1999 | Not One Less (Yi ge dou bu neng shao) | Yimou Zhang |
| 1998 | The Way We Laughed (Così ridevano) | Gianni Amelio |
| 1997 | Hana-bi (Fireworks) | Takeshi Kitano |
| 1996 | Michael Collins | Neil Jordan |
| 1995 | Xich lo (Cyclo | Anh Hung Tran |
| 1994 | Aiqing wansui (Vive L'Amour) | Ming-Liang Tsai |
| 1994 | Pred dozhdot (Before The Rain) | Milcho Manchevski |
| 1993 | Short Cuts (USA) | Robert Altman |
| 1993 | Trois Couleurs: Bleu (Blue) | Krzysztof Kieslowski |
| 1992 | Qui Ju da guan si (The Story Of Qui Ju) | Zhang Yimou |
| 1991 | Urga (Close To Eden) | Nikita Mikhalhov |
| 1990 | Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead | Tom Stoppard |
| 1989 | Beiqing chengshi (A City of Sadness) | Hsiao-Hsien Hou |
| 1988 | La Leggenda del santo bevitore (The Legend Of The Holy Drinker) | Ermano Olmi |
| 1987 | Au revoir les enfants | Louis Malle |
| 1986 | Le Rayon vert (The Green Ray) | Eric Rohmer |
| 1985 | Sans toit ni loi (Vagabond) | Agnès Varda |