Sofia Coppola takes home top honors at Venice for ‘Somewhere’

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Sofia Coppola’s “Somewhere,” a comic drama about a bad-boy actor who’s stumbling through a life of Hollywood excess until his adolescent daughter turns up, won the top prize Saturday at the Venice Film Festival.

Mila Kunis won the Marcello Mastroianni Award for best young actor or actress for her role in Darren Aronofsky’s supernatural ballet thriller “Black Swan,” which has been exciting audiences at this week’s Toronto International Film Festival.

Also garnering kudos were “Essential Killing,” which took home a special jury prize for Poland’s Jerzy Skolimowski and a best actor award for Vincent Gallo. The Silver Lion for best director went to Spain’s Álex de la Iglesia for the film “Balada Triste de Trompeta.” The film was also honored for best screenplay. A full list of winners is available here.

Director Quentin Tarantino, chairman of the jury, said at the closing ceremony that Coppola’s film had “enchanted us from its first screening,” the Associated Press reported. “It has the artistry we were looking for in a Golden Lion” winner.

Early reviews have painted “Somewhere” as somewhat of a return to the ethos of Coppola’s 2003 breakout film, “Lost in Translation,” after her “Marie Antoinette” received a poor reception. The Focus Features film stars Stephen Dorff as the actor holed up at the Chateau Marmont; his daughter is played by Elle Fanning.

The film is slated for a Christmas release in Los Angeles and New York.

-- Julie Makinen