Some film directors refuse Venice Film Festival nomination in gay-themed category

  

As part of the 67th edition of the Venice film festival, an Italian cultural association, awarded a prize for Best Film with homosexual themes of the event dubbed the Queer Lion (Leo Gay).

The prize is awarded to a film in the official section of the contest with themes or scenes ': gays and lesbians' said the founder of the award, the director of the Cultural Association Cinemart, Daniel N. Casagrande.

The award consists of a plaque with the image of the lion symbol of the Venice festival, whose main prize is the Golden Lion, but with the tail painted with the colors of the rainbow, which traditionally homosexules flying as its symbol.

One of the three judges of this year, the Italian designer Ivan Stefanutti, for his part stressed that the prize is not awarded to films that 'militant' by the recognition of the rights of same-sex couples.

"We award the film that seems more appropriate and artistic bello.Privilegiamos on other criteria" Stefanutti stressed.

This year two films are suggested as possible winners of the prize, 'The black swan' which starred the American actress of Israeli origin Nathalie Portman, who stars in a lesbian scene, and the film "In the future," Argentine director Mauro Andrizzi.

'It is still early to say just because the festival is not only starting, "said Stefanutti.

The prize will be awarded on Friday, the eve of the official prize of the Festival of Venice and is expected to assist the act of the festival director Marco Mueller, who supports the initiative.

Casagrande said, without naming names, that in the first year of the award, which in 2010 celebrates its fourth edition, one of the directors refused to receive the trophy winners and even complained to the direction of the Mostra at being included in the prize list.

In other cases, such as the fashion designer Tom Ford, who won last year with his debut 'One man alone', or in the case of director Ang Lee, the winners thanked or even picked up the trophy in person.

The Venice festival is next to the Berlinale, the international film festival held in Berlin in February of each year, the only global event that awards a prize of this type. 

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