List of Big Three film festivals winners
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This list holds these three most prestigious film festivals in Europe, collectively known as the Big Three:
- Venice Film Festival – held in Venice, a city in Veneto, Italy; from 1932.
- Cannes Film Festival – held in Cannes, a city in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France; from 1939.
- Berlin International Film Festival – held in Berlin, Germany; from 1951.
Top prizes
As of 2025, only five filmmakers have won the Golden Lion, Palme d'Or and Golden Bear.
- Jean-Luc Godard was given a Special Palme d'Or as an homage to his career. The other prizes on this list were all competitive prizes.
- Henri-Georges Clouzot got two prizes on this list for a single film. The other prizes on this list are all for different films.
| Name | Golden Lion | Year Awarded | Palme d'Or | Year Awarded | Golden Bear | Year Awarded | Year Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manon | 1949 | The Wages of Fear | 1953 | The Wages of Fear | 1953 | 1949–1953 (4 years) | |
| Red Desert | 1964 | Blowup | 1967 | La Notte | 1961 | 1961–1967 (6 years) | |
| First Name: Carmen | 1983 | The Image Book[b] | 2018 | Alphaville | 1965 | 1965–2018 (53 years) | |
| Short Cuts | 1993 | M*A*S*H | 1970 | Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson | 1976 | 1970–1993 (23 years) | |
| The Circle | 2000 | It Was Just an Accident | 2025 | Taxi | 2015 | 2000–2025[1] (25 years) |
Two prizes
Filmmakers who have won two out of three:

Leopold Lindtberg (1946–1951; 5 years)
David Lean (1946–1954; 8 years)
- Brief Encounter – Palme d'Or (1946)
- Hobson's Choice – Golden Bear (1954)
Roberto Rossellini (1946–1959; 13 years)
- Rome, Open City – Palme d'Or (1946)
- General Della Rovere – Golden Lion (1959)
René Clément (1947–1952; 5 years)
- The Damned – Palme d'Or (1947)
- Forbidden Games – Golden Lion (1952)
André Cayatte (1951–1960; 9 years)
- Justice Is Done – Golden Bear (1951)
- Tomorrow Is My Turn – Golden Lion (1960)
Vittorio De Sica (1951–1971; 20 years)
- Miracle in Milan – Palme d'Or (1951)
- The Garden of the Finzi-Continis – Golden Bear (1971)
Renato Castellani (1952–1954; 2 years)
- Two Cents Worth of Hope – Palme d'Or (1952)
- Romeo and Juliet – Golden Lion (1954)
Louis Malle (1956–1980; 24 years)
- The Silent World – Palme d'Or (1956)
- Atlantic City (1980) and Goodbye, Children (1987) – Golden Lion
Satyajit Ray (1957–1973; 16 years)
- Aparajito – Golden Lion (1957)
- Ashani Sanket – Golden Bear (1973)

Luis Buñuel (1961–1967; 6 years)
- Viridiana – Palme d'Or (1961)
- Belle de Jour – Golden Lion (1967)
Luchino Visconti (1963–1965; 2 years)
- The Leopard – Palme d'Or (1963)
- Sandra – Golden Lion (1965)
Francesco Rosi (1963–1972; 9 years)
- Hands over the City – Golden Lion (1963)
- The Mattei Affair – Palme d'Or (1972)

Roman Polanski (1966–2002; 36 years)
- Cul-de-sac – Golden Bear (1966)
- The Pianist – Palme d'Or (2002)
Vittorio Taviani and Paolo Taviani (1977–2012; 35 years)
- Padre Padrone – Palme d'Or (1977)
- Caesar Must Die – Golden Bear (2012)
Ermanno Olmi (1978–1988; 10 years)
- The Tree of Wooden Clogs – Palme d'Or (1978)
- The Legend of the Holy Drinker – Golden Lion (1988)
John Cassavetes (1980–1984; 4 years)
- Gloria – Golden Lion (1980)
- Love Streams – Golden Bear (1984)
Akira Kurosawa (1980–1985; 5 years)
Wim Wenders (1982–1984; 2 years)
- The State of Things – Golden Lion (1982)
- Paris, Texas – Palme d'Or (1984)

Costa-Gavras (1982–1989; 7 years)
Zhang Yimou (1988–1992; 4 years)
- Red Sorghum – Golden Bear (1988)
- The Story of Qiu Ju (1992) and Not One Less (1999) – Golden Lion
Ang Lee (1993–2005; 12 years)
- The Wedding Banquet (1993) and Sense and Sensibility (1995) – Golden Bear
- Brokeback Mountain (2005) and Lust, Caution (2007) – Golden Lion
Mike Leigh (1996–2004; 8 years)
- Secrets & Lies – Palme d'Or (1996)
- Vera Drake – Golden Lion (2004)
Terrence Malick (1999–2011; 12 years)
- The Thin Red Line – Golden Bear (1999)
- The Tree of Life – Palme d'Or (2011)

Gianfranco Rosi (2013–2016; 3 years)
- Sacro GRA – Golden Lion (2013)
- Fire at Sea – Golden Bear (2016)
Runner-up prizes
Each second place or runner-up winners consist Venice's Grand Jury Prize, Cannes's Grand Prix and Berlin's Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize. As of 2025, Pier Paolo Pasolini is the only filmmaker to have won all the prizes.
| Name | Grand Jury Prize of Venice Film Festival | Year Awarded | Grand Prix | Year Awarded | Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize | Year Awarded | Year Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Gospel According to St. Matthew | 1964 | Arabian Nights | 1974 | Il Decameron | 1971 | 1964–1974 (10 years) |
Two prizes
Filmmakers who have won two out of three:

Roman Polanski (1965–2019; 54 years)
Éric Rohmer (1967–1976; 9 years)
- La Collectionneuse – Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize (1967)
- The Marquise of O – Grand Prix (1976)
Marco Bellocchio (1967–1991; 24 years)
- China Is Near – Venice Film Festival for Grand Jury Prize (1967)
- The Conviction – Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize (1991)
Werner Herzog (1968–1975; 7 years)
- Signs of Life – Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize (1968)
- The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser – Grand Prix (1975)
Marco Ferreri (1978–1980; 2 years)
- Bye Bye Monkey – Grand Prix (1978)
- Seeking Asylum – Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize (1980)
Jerzy Skolimowski (1978–2010; 32 years)
- The Shout – Grand Prix (1978)
- Essential Killing – Venice Film Festival for Grand Jury Prize (2010)
Andrei Konchalovsky (1979–2002; 23 years)
- Siberiade – Grand Prix (1979)
- House of Fools – Venice Film Festival for Grand Jury Prize (2002)
Nanni Moretti (1981–1986; 5 years)
- Sweet Dreams – Venice Film Festival for Grand Jury Prize (1981)
- The Mass Is Ended – Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize (1986)
Giuseppe Tornatore (1989–1995; 6 years)
- Cinema Paradiso – Grand Prix (1989)
- The Star Maker – Venice Film Festival for Grand Jury Prize (1995)
Zhang Yimou (1994–2000; 6 years)
- To Live – Grand Prix (1994)
- The Road Home – Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize (2000)

Tsai Ming-liang (1997–2013; 16 years)
- The River – Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize (1997)
- Stray Dogs – Venice Film Festival for Grand Jury Prize (2013)
Ryusuke Hamaguchi (2021–2023; 2 years)
- Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy – Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize (2021)
- Evil Does Not Exist – Venice Film Festival for Grand Jury Prize (2023)
Directing prizes
Each directorial winners consist Venice's Silver Lion for Best Direction, Cannes's Award for Best Director and Berlin's Silver Bear for Best Director. As of 2025, American filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson is the only person to have won all the prizes.
| Name | Silver Lion for Best Direction | Year Awarded | Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Director | Year Awarded | Silver Bear for Best Director | Year Awarded | Year Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Master | 2012 | Punch-Drunk Love | 2002 | There Will Be Blood | 2008 | 2002–2012[2] (10 years) |
Two prizes
Filmmakers who have won two out of three as director:
Akira Kurosawa (1954–1959; 5 years)
Robert Aldrich (1955–1956; 1 year)
- The Big Knife – Silver Lion for Best Direction (1955)
- Autumn Leaves – Silver Bear for Best Director (1956)
Ettore Scola (1976–1984; 8 years)
- Down and Dirty – Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Director (1976)
- Le Bal – Silver Bear for Best Director (1984)
Martin Scorsese (1986–1990; 4 years)
- After Hours – Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Director (1986)
- Goodfellas – Silver Lion for Best Direction (1990)

Emir Kusturica (1989–1998; 9 years)
- Time of the Gypsies – Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Director (1989)
- Black Cat, White Cat – Silver Lion for Best Direction (1998)
Philippe Garrel (1991–2023; 32 years)
- J'entends plus la guitare (1991) and Regular Lovers (2005) – Silver Lion for Best Direction
- The Plough – Silver Bear for Best Director (2023)
Kim Ki-duk (2004)
- 3-Iron – Silver Lion for Best Direction (2004)
- Samaritan Girl – Silver Bear for Best Director (2004)

Amat Escalante (2013–2016; 3 years)
- Heli – Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Director (2013)
- The Untamed – Silver Lion for Best Direction (2016)
Screenplay prizes
As of 2025, none has won all three festivals' screenplay prizes yet. However, screenwriters who have won two out of three prizes are listed below.
Jafar Panahi (2013–2018; 5 years)
Acting prizes
As of 2025, only four actors have won all three film festivals' acting prizes as for their leading performances.
Male
| Name | Venice | Year Awarded | Cannes | Year Awarded | Berlin[c] | Year Awarded | Year Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glengarry Glen Ross | 1992 | The China Syndrome Missing |
1979 1982 |
Tribute | 1981 | 1979–1992 (13 years) | |
| Hurlyburly 21 Grams |
1998 2003 |
She's So Lovely | 1997 | Dead Man Walking | 1996 | 1996–1998 (2 years) |
Actors who have won two out of three for best acting performance as a lead:
Frederic March (1932–1960; 28 years)
Jean Gabin (1951–1959; 8 years)
- The Night Is My Kingdom (1951), The Air of Paris (1954) and Touchez pas au grisbi (1954) – Volpi Cup for Best Actor
- Archimède le clochard (1959) and Le Chat (1971) – Silver Bear for Best Actor
Burt Lancaster (1956–1962; 6 years)
- Trapeze – Silver Bear for Best Actor (1956)
- Birdman of Alcatraz – Volpi Cup for Best Actor (1962)
Paul Newman (1958–1995; 37 years)
- The Long, Hot Summer – Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor (1958)
- Nobody's Fool – Silver Bear for Best Actor (1995)
James Stewart (1959–1962; 3 years)
- Anatomy of a Murder – Volpi Cup for Best Actor (1959)
- Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation – Silver Bear for Best Actor (1962)
Albert Finney (1963–1984; 21 years)
- Tom Jones – Volpi Cup for Best Actor (1963)
- The Dresser – Silver Bear for Best Actor (1984)
Tom Courtenay (1964–2015; 51 years)
- King & Country – Volpi Cup for Best Actor (1964)
- 45 Years – Silver Bear for Best Actor (2015)
Jean-Louis Trintignant (1968–1969; 1 year)
- The Man Who Lies – Silver Bear for Best Actor (1968)
- Z – Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor (1969)
Marcello Mastroianni (1970–1989; 19 years)
- The Pizza Triangle (1970) and Dark Eyes (1987) – Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor
- What Time Is It? (1989) and 1, 2, 3, Sun (1993) – Volpi Cup for Best Actor
Michel Piccoli (1980–1982; 2 years)
- A Leap in the Dark – Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor (1980)
- Strange Affair – Silver Bear for Best Actor (1982)
Gian Maria Volonté (1983–1987; 4 years)
- The Death of Mario Ricci – Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor (1983)
- The Moro Affair – Silver Bear for Best Actor (1987)
Bruce Dern (1983–2014; 31 years)
- That Championship Season – Silver Bear for Best Actor (1983)
- Nebraska – Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor (2014)
Gérard Depardieu (1985–1990; 5 years)
- Police – Volpi Cup for Best Actor (1985)
- Cyrano de Bergerac – Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor (1990)
Samuel L. Jackson (1991–1998; 7 years)
- Jungle Fever – Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor (1991)
- Jackie Brown – Silver Bear for Best Actor (1998)
Javier Bardem (2000–2010; 10 years)
- Before Night Falls (2000) and The Sea Inside (2004) – Volpi Cup for Best Actor
- Biutiful – Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor (2010)
Benicio del Toro (2001–2008; 7 years)
Elio Germano (2010–2020; 10 years)
- La nostra vita – Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor (2010)
- Hidden Away – Silver Bear for Best Actor (2020)
Shahab Hosseini (2011–2016; 5 years)
- A Separation – Silver Bear for Best Actor (2011)
- The Salesman – Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor (2016)
Joaquin Phoenix (2012–2017; 5 years)
- The Master – Volpi Cup for Best Actor (2012)
- You Were Never Really Here – Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor (2017)
Vincent Lindon (2015–2024; 9 years)
- The Measure of a Man – Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor (2015)
- The Quiet Son – Volpi Cup for Best Actor (2024)
Female
| Name | Venice | Year Awarded | Cannes | Year Awarded | Berlin[c] | Year Awarded | Year Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Three Colors: Blue | 1993 | Certified Copy | 2010 | The English Patient | 1997 | 1993–2010 (17 years) | |
| Far from Heaven | 2002 | Maps to the Stars | 2014 | The Hours | 2003[d] | 2002–2014 (12 years) |
Actresses who have won two out of three for best acting performance as a lead:
Katharine Hepburn (1934–1962; 28 years)
Bette Davis (1937–1951; 14 years)
- Marked Woman (1937) and Kid Galahad (1937) – Volpi Cup for Best Actress
- All About Eve – Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress (1951)
Anna Magnani (1947–1958; 11 years)
- Angelina – Volpi Cup for Best Actress (1947)
- Wild Is the Wind – Silver Bear for Best Actress (1958)
Sophia Loren (1958–1961; 3 years)
- The Black Orchid – Volpi Cup for Best Actress (1958)
- Two Women – Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress (1961)
Bibi Andersson (1958–1963; 5 years)
- Brink of Life – Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress (1958)
- The Mistress – Silver Bear for Best Actress (1963)
Shirley MacLaine (1959–1960; 1 year)
- Ask Any Girl (1959) and Desperate Characters (1971) – Silver Bear for Best Actress
- The Apartment (1960) and Madame Sousatzka (1988) – Volpi Cup for Best Actress
Simone Signoret (1959–1971; 12 years)
- Room at the Top – Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress (1959)
- Le Chat – Silver Bear for Best Actress (1971)
Vanessa Redgrave (1966–1994; 28 years)
- Morgan – A Suitable Case for Treatment (1966) and Isadora (1969) – Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress
- Little Odessa – Volpi Cup for Best Actress (1994)
Isabelle Huppert (1978–1988; 10 years)
- Violette Nozière (1978) and The Piano Teacher (2001) – Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress
- Story of Women (1988) and La Cérémonie (1995) – Volpi Cup for Best Actress
Hanna Schygulla (1979–1983; 4 years)
- The Marriage of Maria Braun – Silver Bear for Best Actress (1979)
- The Story of Piera – Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress (1983)
Barbara Sukowa (1981–1986; 5 years)
- Marianne and Juliane – Volpi Cup for Best Actress (1981)
- Rosa Luxemburg – Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress (1986)
Isabelle Adjani (1981–1989; 8 years)
- Possession (1981) and Quartet (1981) – Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress
- Camille Claudel – Silver Bear for Best Actress (1989)
Helen Mirren (1984–2006; 22 years)
Holly Hunter (1988–1993; 5 years)
- Broadcast News – Silver Bear for Best Actress (1988)
- The Piano – Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress (1993)
Meryl Streep (1989–2003; 14 years)
- Evil Angels – Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress (1989)
- The Hours – Silver Bear for Best Actress (2003)
Maggie Cheung (1992–2004; 12 years)
- Center Stage – Silver Bear for Best Actress (1992)
- Clean – Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress (2004)
Rose Byrne (2000–2025; 25 years)
- The Goddess of 1967 – Volpi Cup for Best Actress (2000)
- If I Had Legs I'd Kick You – Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance (2025)

Nicole Kidman (2003–2024; 21 years)
Penélope Cruz (2006–2021; 15 years)
- Volver – Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress (2006)
- Parallel Mothers – Volpi Cup for Best Actress (2021)
Charlotte Rampling (2015–2017; 2 years)
Notes
- Also won the Golden Leopard
- Awarded as Special Palme d'Or
- Starting with the 71st Berlin International Film Festival (2021), the Best Actor and Best Actress categories were consolidated into a single Best Leading Performance category.[3]
- Shared with Nicole Kidman and Meryl Streep