Entertainment Desk:

Prominent Hollywood actress Nicole Kidman had to make a heartbreaking decision to leave the Venice Film Festival after landing in Italy, following the sudden death of her mother, Janelle Ann Kidman.

The actress, who starred in “Babygirl”, won the Best Actress award at the prestigious festival but was unable to attend the ceremony. Instead, her film’s director, Halina Reijn, accepted the honour on Kidman’s behalf.

“I’m in shock, and I have to go to my family, but this award is for her,” Reijn said while accepting the award. “I am beyond grateful that I get to say her name to all of you. The collision of life and art is heartbreaking, and my heart is broken.”

Brady Corbet, who won the Silver Lion for Best Director following Kidman’s award, also took a moment to offer his condolences to her during his acceptance speech.

In early 2022, Kidman revealed that her mother’s health had been declining but did not share specific details. “We’re down here [in Australia] primarily to take care of my mother and to have her surrounded by her grandchildren,” she mentioned in an interview on NPR’s Fresh Air podcast.

Despite the challenges posed by the Covid pandemic, Kidman managed to arrange a private viewing of the Matisse exhibit for her mother, a gesture that held deep significance given her mother’s influence on her artistic upbringing.

“Mum raised me in the arts,” Kidman said, adding that the experience was “soothing balm” for her mother.

“The Big Little Lies” star has often spoken about her mother’s impact on her life and career. In a 2020 interview with The Sydney Morning Herald, Kidman shared how her mother encouraged her to carve her own path.

“She’s given me the fire to pursue the career I have because I’ve always wanted to please her,” Kidman said. Although her mother didn’t achieve the career she had hoped for, she was determined to ensure her daughters had opportunities to forge their own futures. “That’s given me my life. And she gave me my life, she and my dad,” Kidman reflected.