An image from Kim ki-Duk's Pieta.

Kim Ki-Duk, the master director from South Korea, won the best picture prize at the 69th Venice Film Festival tonight in Italy for his latest film, Pieta. Paul Thomas Anderson, a heavy favorite for his new movie The Master, apparently settled for the best director prize and a pair of acting awards. As the festival came to a close Ulrich Seidl was presented a special jury prize for his new film, Paradise: Faith.

The story of a loner loan shark confronted by a woman claiming to be his mother, Pieta was acclaimed this week at the Venice festival. As was Paul Thomas Anderson's anticipated new American movie. Anderson was awarded the Silver Lion for best director and his lead actors, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Joaquin Phoenix, shared the best actor award. The prize for best actress went to Hadas Yaron for Rama Burstein's Fill The Void.

The award for best screenplay went to Olivier Assayas for his new film, Something In The Air.

Michael Mann lead the jury at the 69th Venice fest, judging the festival's eighteen film competition with fellow jurors Marina Abramovic, Laetitia Casta, Peter Ho-Sun Chan, Ari Folman, Matteo Garrone, Ursula Meier, Samantha Morton, and Pablo Trapero.

The Venice awards stirred buzz on social media today amidst multiple reports that the festival jury had actually voted to present the top prize to The Master. The Hollywood Reporter and other outlets said that the jury was prevented from doing so by a festival policy against giving one movie too many trophies. They were apparently asked to re-vote. Now in Toronto for the festival there, Paul Thomas Anderson addressed the matter at a press conference. He said that he was grateful for any award and thrilled by the honors bestowed upon Philip Seymour Hoffman and Joaquin Phoenix.

Complete list of winners (as provided by the festival): 

GOLDEN LION for Best Film:
Pieta by Kim Ki-duk (South Korea)
 
SILVER LION for Best Director to:
The Master by Paul Thomas Anderson (US)
 
SPECIAL JURY PRIZE to:
Paradies: Glaube by Ulrich Seidl (Austria, Germany, France)
 
COPPA VOLPI
for Best Actor:
Philip Seymour Hoffman and Joaquin Phoenix
in the film The Master by Paul Thomas Anderson (US)
 
COPPA VOLPI
for Best Actress:
Hadas Yaron
in the film Lemale et Ha’Chalal by Rama Bursthein (Israel)
 
MARCELLO MASTROIANNI AWARD
for Best New Young Actor or Actress to:
Fabrizio Falco
in the films:
Bella Addormentata by Marco Bellocchio (Italy)
and È Stato Il Figlio by Daniele Ciprí (Italy)
 
AWARD FOR BEST SCREENPLAY to:
Olivier Assayas
for the film Apres Mai by Olivier Assayas (France)
 
AWARD FOR THE BEST TECHNICAL CONTRIBUTION (CINEMATOGRAPHY) to:
Daniele Ciprì
for the film È Stato Il Figlio by Daniele Ciprì (Italy)

Rama Bursthein's Fill The Void and Olivier Assayas' Something In The Air will screen at the 50th New York Film Festival.