The Iranian film Dayereh (The Circle) won the Golden Lion Award for best film at the Venice Film Festival Saturday, beating 19 other films in the festival's competition.

The U.S. film Before Night Falls won the runner-up grand jury prize. Javier Bardem, the Spanish actor, received the best actor award for his portrayal of dissident Cuban poet Reinaldo Arenas in Before Night Falls, while Australia's Rose Byrne won the best actress award for her role in The Goddess of 1967.

Meanwhile, the top prize at France's Deauville Film Festival, which highlights American independent films, went to Karyn Kusama's Girlfight, a hit at last spring's Cannes Film Festival.

Source: Studio Briefing