Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain, a homosexual romance set in the mountains of Wyoming, won the Venice Film Festival's Golden Lion Award last Saturday, beating festival favorite George Clooney for the top prize.

The latest movie by the director of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Hulk was adapted from a story by Annie Proulx, and stars Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal as cowboy lovers whose forbidden affair begins in 1963 and ends 20 years later.

Chinese-American director Lee, born in Taiwan, described Brokeback Mountain as a story of love against adversity. The independent, low budget film was shot in Canada to save money.

"After two big movies, I decided to make a small movie that really moved me," says Lee, who flew back from the Toronto International Film Festival to accept the award.

"I have the impression that this is the most auteur-focused of all film festivals and I never thought I would come here. I can't tell you how proud I am."

Lee's other films include The Ice Storm and Sense and Sensibility.

Critics had pegged Clooney's black-and-white tale of 1950s broadcast journalism, Good Night And Good Luck, as the Golden Lion favourite over the other 19 films in competition.

Clooney did not go home empty-handed. He won the award for best screenplay with co-writer Grant Heslov. The film's star, David Strathairn, won the best actor prize for his intense portrayal of journalist Edward R. Murrow, who used television to expose the aggressive tactics of US Senator Joseph McCarthy in his anti-communist crusade.

"This film is a tribute to the reporters in Afghanistan, in Iraq, in Africa, and in our poor city of New Orleans," Clooney said at a press conference.

"I don't believe it is a political statement per se. I felt that if I kept this in a historical context you could make your own decision."

Italy was limited to a consolation prize for Giovanna Mezzogiorno, who won the best actress award for her role in Cristina Comencini's La Bestia nel Cuore (Don't Tell), a moving tale of adult siblings scarred by child abuse.

She beat France's Isabelle Huppert, a front-runner for her role in the emotionally intense Gabrielle, and Gwyneth Paltrow, a contender for her performance as the daughter of a mentally unstable mathematician in John Madden's Proof.

Huppert was instead given a rare award for her "outstanding contribution to cinema," her third prize at Venice.

Asia was feted as the honored guest of the 62nd Venice festival, but its productions won none of the top awards.

Others awards on Saturday included:

William Lubtchansky's cinematography in Garrel's Les Amants Reguliers was given the nod.

Menothy Cesar won the Marcello Mastroianni Award for promising young actors, for his role in Laurent Cantet's Vers le Sud, (Towards the South).

Lech Kowalski won the Horizons Award for the movie East of Paradise.

Lin Chien-ping won the Leone Citroen Award for the best short, for Small Station.

(China Daily September 13, 2005)