The story of legendary mixed martial arts and UFC fighter Mark Kerr, starring Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt received an very long and moving standing ovation at the Lido screening and the Silver Lion for best director to Benny Safdie.

The director's statement by Benny Safdie: "The Smashing Machine: a perfect onomatopoeia for something visual, conjuring images of domination and destruction with ease. Mark Kerr truly was The Smashing Machine. His strength translated out of the ring as well because he had a unique ability to try and explain his emotions. He is a beautiful and complicated person who deals with the ups and downs of life just like anyone else.

We assume that one’s physical stature or physical abilities translates to their emotional strength as well. Just because he looks like the strongest man on the planet doesn’t mean he’s invincible. Our heroes bleed just like everyone else. When you leave that ring, your world catches up with you — and you have to confront the things you may have been running from.
Dwayne, Emily and I kept thought “what is it like to really be Mark Kerr, what is it like to really be Dawn Staples?” We wanted to empathise with these characters in a way that felt like our own feelings. I ended up calling this a kind of Radical Empathy. First, because empathy should be cool and second because I wanted this movie to exist as a memory for everyone who watches it."

Emily Blunt, Dwayne Johnson...Photos by Laurent Hou