“Nomadland” , a U.S. movie about a community of van dwellers traversing the vast American West, won the Golden Lion award for best film at the Venice film festival on Saturday.

The film, directed by U.S. based Chinese director Chloe Zhao, stars Frances McDormand as a widow in her 60s who turns her van into a mobile home and sets out on the road, taking on seasonal jobs along the way. The jury led by Australian actress Cate Blanchett gave two runner-up Silver Lion awards, one to Mexican director Michel Franco’s thriller “New Order” and the other to Japanese historic drama “Wife of a Spy”, by Kiyoshi Kurosawa.

The festival on the Lido waterfront was the first such event to go ahead in front of live audiences since the coronavirus pandemic all but shut down the world of showbiz.