Nicole Kidman, Vincent Lindon win top actors' awards at Venice

Nicole Kidman won the best actress award in Venice Saturday for her no-holds-barred performance in “Babygirl”, but was unable to pick it up after the unexpected death of her mother.

“I arrived in Venice to find out shortly after that, my beautiful, brave mother, Janelle M Kidman, has just passed,” the actress said in a statement read on her behalf by the film’s Dutch director, Halina Reijn.

“I’m in shock, and I have to go to my family. But this award is for her. She shaped me, she guided me, and she made me. I’m beyond grateful that I get to say her name to all of you through Halina.

“The collision of life and art is heartbreaking and my heart is broken.”

The 81st Venice Film Festival concluded with the highly anticipated world premiere of Kevin Costner’s Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2 and a star-studded awards ceremony. Vincent Lindon took home the Best Actor award for his gripping role in the French drama The Quiet Son, where he portrays a single father grappling with his son’s radicalization.

With no clear frontrunner for the top prize, all eyes were on the Isabelle Huppert-led jury as they made their decisions. The competition was fierce, with many of the 21 films stirring strong opinions among critics and audiences alike.