With a little less than a month to go before it debuts in theaters for the public, Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker movie has already become a critical success, snagging the top award at the Venice Film Festival, according to Variety.

Joker took the Golden Lion award at the festival, beating out controversial director Roman Polanski’s “An Officer and a Spy.” Joker is directed by Todd Phillips, who previously directed the Hangover trilogy and produced 2018's A Star is Born.

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The Venice Film Festival is the oldest film festival in the world, and is often cited as one of the big three film festivals alongside the Cannes Film Festival and Berlin International Film Festival. The Golden Lion award is commonly regarded as one of the most prestigious film awards, marking a particularly valuable contribution to the world of cinema. Previous Golden Lion award winners include Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma, Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water, and 2008’s The Wrestler, among a much larger list of international films.

IGN gave Joker its first 10 out of 10 of the year last month, calling it a “standalone film for the ages.”

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Venice Film Festival director Alberto Barbera also called Joker an early Oscar award contender.

"The film deserves the reception it is getting," Barbera told Deadline. "It goes beyond the boundaries of the genre. Joaquin Phoenix's performance is outstanding and Todd Phillips did a great job."

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Joker debuts in theaters on October 4.

Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/failed comedian for IGN.