Jim Jarmusch's "Father Mother Sister Brother" has won the top prize at the Venice Film Festival, taking the Golden Lion in a result that AP described as an upset over some of the festival's more heavily discussed titles. The film is a relationship triptych about adult children and their parents, starring Adam Driver, Vicky Krieps and Cate Blanchett.

The win was notable because it came in a field that included several films with broader pre-festival heat. Kaouther Ben Hania's Gaza docudrama "The Voice of Hind Rajab" took the runner-up Silver Lion prize, while Park Chan-wook's "No Other Choice" went home empty-handed. Jarmusch acknowledged the surprise factor himself, saying he and other filmmakers are not motivated by competition but that he appreciated the unexpected honor and the festival's response to his quiet film.

Ben Hania's film had one of the most emotionally charged festival runs. AP says it tells the story of an attempt to rescue a 6-year-old girl from a bullet-ridden call in Gaza City in January 2024, and that it uses the real audio from the child's call to the Palestine Red Crescent Society. The film drew a 22-minute standing ovation after its premiere, and Ben Hania dedicated the award to the Red Crescent and to those who risk their lives to save others in Gaza. She also used her remarks to call for an end to the unbearable situation there.

The festival's acting and craft prizes were similarly broad in scope. Chinese actor Xin Zhilei won best actress for "The Sun Rises on Us All," a story set around a love triangle in the world of sweatshops in Guangzhou. Italian actor Toni Servillo won best actor for playing a president at the end of his term in Paolo Sorrentino's "La Grazia." Benny Safdie took best director for "The Smashing Machine," the Mark Kerr MMA biopic that has already fueled Oscar chatter around its star, Dwayne Johnson.

Valerie Donzelli and Gilles Marchand were recognized for best screenplay for "At Work," a French film about a successful photographer who gives everything up to focus on writing and ends up in poverty. The special jury prize went to Gianfranco Rosi for "Below the Clouds," his lyrical Naples documentary. Swiss actor Luna Wedler received the Marcello Mastroianni Award for young performers for "Silent Friend."

The awards lineup also reflected the range of this year's competition jury, led by Alexander Payne and including Fernanda Torres, Mohammad Rasoulof, Stephane Brize, Maura Delpero, Zhao Tao and Cristian Mungiu. Taken together, the winners show a festival split between intimate character work, political urgency and high-profile awards-season contenders. But the night's biggest surprise was still Jarmusch, whose understated film walked away with the main prize while several louder titles did not.