As stated in the original post, 12 films in all competed for this prize in 2011. (The list has been updated and is now complete.)
The best film with a queer theme at the 2011 Venice International Film Festival is Al Pacino’s WILDE SALOME.
Here is the jury statement: “Per aver realizzato con un linguaggio inedito, denso e complesso, uno straordinario, appassionato atto d’amore nei confronti di un genio, mettendo la propria eccezionale carismatica figura di attore e regista a totale, completa e devota disposizione della produzione letteraria di Oscar Wilde; per aver ripercorso con obiettività e completezza la vita, gli amori, il successo ed il disonore vissuti dallo scrittore irlandese, e per aver affrontato con autoironica professionalità tutti i passaggi della creazione artistica di un’opera innovativa e difficilmente catalogabile, l’associazione CinemArte assegna il Queer Lion Award 2011 ad Al Pacino per il suo “Wilde Salomé”.”
(“For having crafted an extraordinary, passionate act of love for a genius through a new, dense and complex cinematic language, putting his unique charismatic figure of actor and director at full, complete disposal of Oscar Wilde’s body of work; for having traced in a strong, clear way the life, the loves, the success, the fall experienced by the Irish writer, and for having followed every step of the artistic creation of an innovative work – difficult to categorize – with wit and self-deprecating irony, CinemArte Association awards the Queer Lion 2011 to Al Pacino for his “Wilde Salomé”.”)
From the official website the synopsis is as follows:
Referred to by actor/director Al Pacino as his most personal project ever, the unconventional feature documentary Wilde Salome invites audiences into Pacino’s private world, as he explores the complexities of Oscar Wilde’s acclaimed play Salome, Wilde himself and the birth of a rising star, in actress Jessica Chastain.
The film offers an unprecedented behind the scenes look at Pacino’s odyssey. Pacino’s raw exploration in Wilde Salome is one of obsession, determination, commitment and above all, passion. Wilde Salome is unlike any other documentary, a profound vision that explores religion, literature, politics, violence and sexuality from one of the world’s greatest artists—writer, Oscar Wilde.