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Gus Van Sant, the revered filmmaker behind Oscar-winning Good Will Hunting and Palme d'Or-winning Elephant, is set to receive a Campari Passion for Film Award at the upcoming Venice International Film Festival in September 2025.
The award will commemorate his lasting legacy to storytelling and honor his work that “reflects a deep and enduring passion for cinema.” It is named after the Campari group, which has been the festival’s key sponsor for several years. However, unlike the lifetime achievement award, their honor is meant to celebrate a film professional’s “artistic vision and drive.”
Upon the announcement, the filmmaker conveyed his gratitude with a heartfelt note addressing the group and the festival. His statement reads:
“I’m truly honored to receive the Passion for Film award. My heartfelt thanks to Campari for this recognition — it means a great deal to me. I’m grateful not only for their acknowledgement of my work, but also for their support of one of the world’s great institutions of cinema celebration and exhibition. It’s a privilege to be part of this tradition, and I deeply appreciate the passion they bring to film.”
Exploring the legacy of Gus Van Sant
Gus Van Sant might be more famously known as the independent filmmaker who gave Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and more their big break, but he is also a multi-hyphenate artist. His work as a painter, photographer, and musician has also been warmly received by film lovers and art enthusiasts at large.
He is one of the key voices behind the new queer cinema movement, which offers both a sensitive and a bold look into the subcultures underexplored by the mainstream. It is particularly evident through his early work on films such as Mala Noche (1986), Drugstore Cowboy (1989), and My Own Private Idaho (1991), among others.
The 1991 film is still fondly remembered as a significant chapter in queer cinema. It followed River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves as two street hustlers who travel across the American streets, looking for a person. Instead, they end up discovering something crucial about themselves. It's a breezy and captivating film about self-discovery.
In 1998, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck earned Oscars for their screenplay for Good Will Hunting, helmed by Gus Van Sant. Later, in 2009, his biopic drama Milk earned Sean Penn his second Oscar for playing one of the key voices behind the gay liberation movement, Harvey Milk. Apart from that, Nicole Kidman-starrer crime comedy To Die For (1995) is one of the classic American satires.
Venice International Film Festival honors Gus Van Sant
While addressing Gus Van Sant's remarkable filmography, Alberto Barbera, the artistic director behind the Venice Film Festival, said,
“He has made films that have left a lasting mark on the collective imagination. A discoverer of talent, he has launched actors such as River Phoenix, Keanu Reeves, Casey Affleck, Joaquin Phoenix, Ben Affleck, and Matt Damon.”
Barbera also addressed his "singular creative identity" as he continued working on both indie and mainstream projects. After receiving this honor, the filmmaker will also present his latest film, Dead Man's Wire, in the festival's Out of Competition category.
The film is stacked with a solid cast of Bill Skarsgård (Nosferatu), Dacre Montgomery (Stranger Things), Myha'la(Industry), Colman Domingo (Sing Sing), Al Pacino (Serpico), and Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride), among others.
It revolves around a real-life folk hero of sorts, who may sound similar to Al Pacino's character from Dog Day Afternoon (1975) as he takes justice into his own hands and stages a kidnapping. According to TIFF, the film's plot synopsis reads:
"Gus Van Sant’s latest recreates the strange, fascinating true story of the 1977 kidnapping that made aspiring Indianapolis entrepreneur Tony Kiritsis into an eccentric outlaw folk hero."
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