'Joker’ Wins Top Honour, Gets Eight-Minute Standing Ovation At Venice Premiere

Still nearly a month from release, Todd Phillips’ dark comic book film 'Joker' is already making a splash. Set to release on October 4, the film has already won the Golden Lion Award at the 76th Annual Venice International Film Festival, making it the first superhero film to ever have won an award at the Venice Film Festival. 'Joker' has been capturing headlines since its world premiere on August 31st.

To gauge how much the audience is enjoying the movie, the premiere of “Joker” at the Venice Film Festival drew an eight-minute standing ovation Saturday night for actor Joaquin Phoenix, whose work is being highly appreciated.

Accepting the award, director Todd Phillips thanked Warner Bros and DC, “for stepping out of their comfort zone and taking such a bold swing on me and this movie,” and his star, saying, “There is no movie without Joaquin Phoenix. Joaquin is the fiercest and brightest and most open-minded lion I know. Thank you for trusting me with your insane talent.”

The film centres around Batman's iconic arch nemesis. It explores the journey of a common man named Arthur Fleck, who would later become a superhero, The Joker. The story takes many turns as the man works as a clown during the day and tries to make his way as a stand-up comedian at night, and eventually becomes a villain.

#JokerMovie wins the Golden Lion for Best Film at #VeniceFilmFestival. pic.twitter.com/qYlAoHpwIR

— Joker Movie (@jokermovie) September 7, 2019

"#JokerMovie is wild, gets eight-minute standing ovation at #VeniceFilmFestival." In theaters October 4. pic.twitter.com/PfnUteeR1Q

— Joker Movie (@jokermovie) August 31, 2019