At Venice Film Festival, Audrey Diwan’s film "L’Événement", adapted from Annie Ernaux’s abortion memoir, wins the Golden Lion.
On 11 September 2021, the film L’Événement (Happening), directed by Audrey Diwan and adapted from Annie Ernaux’s 2000 book of the same name, won the Golden Lion at the 78th Venice Film Festival.[14] The film dramatizes Ernaux’s clandestine abortion in 1960s France, a pivotal episode she transformed into a stark autobiographical text about bodily autonomy, class, and gender.
The Golden Lion is one of the most prestigious awards in world cinema. Its conferral on an adaptation of Ernaux’s work significantly amplified international attention to her writing, particularly on reproductive rights and women’s experiences under restrictive abortion laws.[14] The film’s success preceded and arguably helped set the stage for the global interest that greeted Ernaux’s Nobel Prize the following year.
Historically, this date marks a key moment in the cross‑media circulation of Ernaux’s testimony. By reaching audiences who might never read the book, the film—and its Venice triumph—extended the impact of Ernaux’s narrative beyond literary circles into public debates and policy discussions about abortion, consent, and patriarchal control of women’s bodies.
The award also reflects changing norms in film and literature: a willingness of major festivals to honor stories centered on women’s intimate experiences and to recognize adaptations of autobiographical feminist texts. In women’s history, 11 September 2021 stands as a reminder of how Ernaux’s personal story of risk and resistance in 1960s France continues to resonate, influencing contemporary conversations about reproductive justice worldwide.