Critics point fingers at Tarantino for 'favouritism' during Venice Film Festival

Tarantino’s former partner Sofia Coppola won best picture for her film drama, Somewhere, and a long-time friend of the Hollywood director Alex de la Iglesia won two awards, one of which was for best Director for Balada Triste De Trompeta (A sad trumpet ballad).

However, the Hollywood heavyweight denied being biased and said the decisions were based on the films’ merits.

Film critic of Italian newspaper Correre della Sera Paolo Mereghetti has criticised Tarantino's decisions.

"The presidency of Quentin Tarantino runs the risk of turning into the most obvious conflict of interest possible if you remember that Somewhere and Road to Nowhere were charming and interesting in their own ways, but nothing more than that," he wrote.

But Tarantino told reporters he "wasn't going to let anything like that [favouritism] affect me at all".

"I was just going to literally respond to the film. There was no me steering any direction."

The jury also awarded Vincent Gallo with the best actor trophy, even though he did not have a single line in the film Essential Killing, and Tarantino’s mentor Monte Hellman with a special career prize created by the jury.

Asked whether he had favoured his friends, Tarantino said it was Hellman who had taught him around 20 years ago how award-giving at festivals worked.

"I remember talking to him [Hellman] in 1992 at the Sundance Film Festival, when I was there with my film Reservoir Dogs," he said.

"I actually had a friend on the jury and he told me that a friend on the jury is your worst enemy as they would be too embarrassed to give you a prize,” Tarantino said.