In a move that could be seen as a strong message for women’s rights, and for the right of female filmmakers to be celebrated, the 2021 Venice Film Festival gave its top honour, the Golden Lion for Best Film, to Audrey Diwan’s French abortion drama, Happening.

“I feel heard tonight,” a near-ecstatic Diwan said accepting her historic award. Happening, an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Annie Ernaux, tells the story of a bright college student in early-1960s France who sees her emancipation threatened when she gets pregnant. With no legal options available, she tries to find a way to illegally abort.