Golden Lion

The Golden Lion (Italian: Leone d'Oro) is the highest prize given to a film at the Venice Film Festival. The prize was introduced in 1949 by the organizing committee and is now regarded as one of the film industry's most distinguished prizes. In 1970, a second Golden Lion was introduced; this is an honorary award for people who have made an important contribution to cinema.

The prize was introduced in 1949 as the Golden Lion of St. Mark (the winged lion which had appeared on the flag of the Venetian Republic). Previously, the equivalent prize was the Gran Premio Internazionale di Venezia (Grand International Prize of Venice), awarded in 1947 and 1948. Before that, from 1934 until 1942, the highest awards were the Coppa Mussolini (Mussolini Cups) for Best Italian Film and Best Foreign Film.

No Golden Lions were awarded between 1969 and 1979. According to the Biennale's official website, this hiatus was a result of the 1968 Lion being awarded to the radically experimental Die Artisten in der Zirkuskuppel: Ratlos; the website says that the awards "still had a statute dating back to the fascist era and could not side-step the general political climate. Sixty-eight produced a dramatic fracture with the past."

Golden Lion (disambiguation)

Golden Lion may refer to:

See also

Golden Lion, Fulham

The Golden Lion is a pub in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, London, England. It is located on Fulham High Street, to the east of Fulham Palace Gardens. Its building was originally built in the Tudor era, and was rebuilt by one of its Victorian owners. Notable patrons include the playwrights Shakespeare (in the 16th century) and Fletcher as well as Bishop Bonner. The pub serves typical pub grub.

History

Faulkner, in his History of Fulham, supposes the original mansion to have been of the time of Henry VII; and that it was the residence of Bishop Bonner. James Dugham states that it was undoubtedly a "princely residence". After its conversion into an inn, it was frequented by William Shakespeare and John Fletcher. The original Golden Lion was pulled down in April 1836. The house which was subsequently rebuilt in April 1836 carried inscriptions on its two chimneys; a picture of the towers appeared in the Gentlemen's Magazine in June 1838. Subsequent to its demolition, John Powell Powell sold it to Street. It was also the repository of the "arms and accouterments" of the old Fulham Volunteers. The Bachelors Club also held its meetings at the Golden Lion. After Powell, the inn was owned by Mrs Ann Sophia Blake and then by Colonel Edward Harwood. A private road from the Golden Lion led to the Burlington Road. Before its demolition, in 1820 it was cited as the oldest house in Fulham. In the 1970s the pub was a popular haunt of the British rock band Led Zeppelin, being close to their Manticore studios. With its origin traced to 1455 it is reported as the oldest pub in Fulham. There is also a pub garden behind the Golden Lion.