6 Best Golden Lion Winning Movies

By Vlad Zakh · March 26, 2026

The Venice Film Festival’s Golden Lion has long recognized bold, genre-defining films from across the world. In Rashomon (1950): Four witnesses give conflicting accounts of a samurai’s murder in feudal Japan. Equally memorable is The Wrestler (2008): An aging, washed-up professional wrestler seeks reconciliation with his estranged daughter.

Nomadland (2020)

TMDB ★ 7.3

A woman embraces a nomadic life on the road after losing everything in the Great Recession.

Directed by Chloé Zhao · 1h 48m · Rated R

Where to watch

Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Roma (2018)

IMDb ★ 7.6 RT 96% Metacritic 96

A live-in housekeeper for a middle-class family navigates upheaval in 1970s Mexico City.

Directed by Alfonso Cuarón · 2h 15m · Rated R

Won 3 Oscars256 wins & 230 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Brokeback Mountain (2005)

IMDb ★ 7.7 RT 88% Metacritic 87

Two cowboys develop a decades-long secret romance after a summer job herding sheep.

Directed by Ang Lee · 2h 14m · Rated R

Won 3 Oscars141 wins & 133 nominations

Where to watch

Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Wrestler (2008)

TMDB ★ 7.9

An aging, washed-up professional wrestler seeks reconciliation with his estranged daughter.

Directed by Darren Aronofsky · 1h 49m · Rated R

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Belle de Jour (1967)

TMDB ★ 7.6

A bored Parisian housewife secretly spends her afternoons working at a high-class brothel.

Directed by Luis Buñuel · 1h 41m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Rashomon (1950)

IMDb ★ 8.1 RT 98% Metacritic 98

Four witnesses give conflicting accounts of a samurai's murder in feudal Japan.

Directed by Akira Kurosawa · 1h 28m · Rated NR

Nominated for 1 Oscar9 wins & 5 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix, built to fix a specific annoyance: most recommendation sites are just algorithm-driven noise. Our lists are researched and organized by who's in a film, where it's from, and the mood you're actually in tonight.

6 Best Golden Lion Winning Movies

Nomadland (2020)

Roma (2018)

Brokeback Mountain (2005)

The Wrestler (2008)

Belle de Jour (1967)

Rashomon (1950)

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