The 41st Venice International Film Critics' Week, an independent sidebar to the Venice Film Festival organised by the Italian National Film Critics Union, has announced its award winners. The top prize, the Grand Prize for Best Film, went to Tommaso Usberti's Italian drama "Before the War" (Prima della guerra), praised by the jury for its "intense and vibrant direction" and powerful lead performance; the film also picked up the Best Producer award, underlining its status as the standout title of the selection.

Other honours included the Audience Award for Shalini Adnani's family drama "Our Share of Sand", the Best Technical Contribution award for "The End of Times", which blends archival VHS footage with AI processing, and the Circolo del Cinema di Verona Award for Dong Jie's "Zoom In, Zoom Out", a reflection on post-digital youth culture. In the short film category, Noemi Arfuso's "E-I-E-I-O" won the top prize, with further awards for direction, technical achievement and a special mention going to other shorts including "Se mai le cose" and "Where the Tears Wait".