THE prizes for the 2015 Venice Film Festival have been announced and it was a big boom for Latin American films as the Venezuelan film “From Afar” (“Desde allá”) emerged as the big winner. The film, from debut director Lorenzo Vigas, won the Golden Lion from a jury headed by Oscar winning director Alfonso Cuarón (“Gravity”). It marks the first ever Venice entry from Venezuela.

    Argentinean filmmaker Pablo Trapero (“Carancho”) won the the Silver Lion (Best Director prize) for his crime drama “The Clan.” While splashier titles made up the Venice official selection — including awards hopeful “The Danish Girl,” the starry “A Bigger Splash” and Kristen Stewart-headlined “Equals,” none picked up prizes.

    “From Afar” centers around a wealthy, 50-year-old man who falls for a young man who’s a leader of a gang. The film comes from a short story from Oscar-nominated screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga (“Babel”).

    On the American front, Charlie Kaufman’s acclaimed stop-motion feature “Anomalisa” nabbed the Grand Jury Prize. The movie, which also played Telluride and set to play Toronto next, is one of the major acquisition titles of the season and features the voice talents of David Thewlis (“Naked”) and Jennifer Jason Leigh (“Margot at the Wedding”).(SD-Agencies)

     Golden Lion: “From Afar” (directed by Lorenzo Vigas)

     Silver Lion (Best Director): Pablo Trapero, “The Clan”

     Grand Jury Prize: “Anomalisa” (directed by Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson)

     Best Actor: Fabrice Luchini, “Courted” (“L’Hermine”)

     Best Actress: Valeria Golino, “Per Amor Vostro”

     Best Screenplay: “Courted” — written by Christian Vincent

     Award for Best Young Actor: Abraham Attah, “Beasts of No Nation”

     Special Jury Prize: “Frenzy” (directed by Emin Alper)