Fourteen foreign films are vying
with four from Italy for the Golden Lion at this year's 77th
annual Venice Film Festival which kicks off on Wednesday night
and runs until September 12.
Defending Italy's colours are PADRENOSTRO by Claudio Noce, MISS
MARX by Susanna Nicchiarelli, NOTTURNO di Gianfranco Rosi and LE
SORELLE MACALUSO by Emma Dante.
Here are the overseas contenders:
WIFE OF SPY by Kiyoshi Kurosawa.
AND TOMORROW THE ENTIRE WORLD byJulius Von Heinz
NUEVO ORDEN by Michel Franco
QUO VADIS, AIDA? by Jasmila Zbanic
SUN CHILDREN by Majid Majidi
LAILA IN HAIFA by Amos Gitai
DEAR COMPANIONS! by Andrei Konchalovsky
NOMADLAND by Chloé Zhao
PIECES OF A WOMAN byKornél Mundruczó
NEVER GONNA SNOW by Malgorzata Szumowska
THE WORLD TO COME by Mona Fastvold
LOVERS by Nicole Garcia
THE DISCIPLE by Chaitanya Tamhane
IN BETWEEN DYING by Hilal Baydarov
This year's jury is chaired by Cate Blanchett.
Italian actress Anna Foglietta is the host.
It will be a COVID-safe event, organisers say.
Lacci, directed by Daniele Luchetti (La nostra vita, Mio
fratello è figlio unico, Il portaborse) starring Alba
Rohrwacher, Luigi Lo Cascio, Laura Morante, Silvio Orlando,
Giovanna Mezzogiorno, Adriano Giannini, and Linda Caridi is the
Opening Film, Out of Competition, of the 77th Venice
International Film Festival (2 September - 12 September 2020)
directed by Alberto Barbera and organized by La Biennale di
Venezia.
"Recently, we have all feared that cinema might become extinct,"
says Daniele Luchetti. "Yet during the quarantine it gave us
comfort, like a light gleaming in a cavern. Today we have
understood something else: that films, television series,
novels, are indispensable in our lives. Long live festivals,
then, which allow us to come together to celebrate the true
meaning of our work. If anyone thought it served no purpose,
they now know it is important to everyone. With Lacci I am
honoured to open the dances of the first great festival in
unexpected times".
"It's been eleven years since the Venice International Film
Festival was opened by an Italian film." says Alberto Barbera.
"This happy opportunity was offered by the wonderful film
directed by Daniele Luchetti, an anatomy of a married couple's
problematic coexistence, as they struggle with infidelity,
emotional blackmail, suffering and guilt, with an added mystery
that is not revealed until the end. Supported by an outstanding
cast, the film is also a sign of the promising phase in Italian
cinema today, continuing the positive trend seen in recent
years, which the quality of the films invited to Venice this
year will surely confirm".
Naples, early 1980s: the marriage between Aldo and Vanda begins
to break down when Aldo falls in love with young Lidia. Thirty
years later, Aldo and Vanda are still married. A mystery about
feelings, a story of loyalty and faithlessness, of resentment
and shame. Betrayal, pain, a secret box, a home laid waste, a
cat, the voice of people in love and that of people out of love.
From the novel by Domenico Starnone, one of the New York Times'
100 notable books of 2017, this is the new film by Daniele
Luchetti.
Lacci will be screened Wednesday September 2nd, in the Sala
Grande at the Palazzo del Cinema on the Lido di Venezia, on the
opening night of the 77th Venice Film Festival. Produced by IBC
Movie with Rai Cinema, Lacci was written by Domenico Starnone,
Francesco Piccolo and Daniele Luchetti.
Joining Blachett on the jury will be Austrian director Veronika
Franz ("Goodnight Mommy," "The Lodge"), British filmmaker Joanna
Hogg ("The Souvenir"), Italian writer and novelist Nicola
Lagioia, German filmmaker Christian Petzold ("Phoenix,"
"Barbara"), US actor Matt Dillon ("Rumble Fish", "Crash"), and
French actress Ludivine Sagnier ("Swimming Pool," "8 Women").
Together, they will award the festival's top prizes, including
the Golden Lion, which last year went to "Joker" under jury
president Lucrecia Martel.
Meaning, in the Orizzonti, or Horizons, section running parallel
to the main competition, French favorite Claire Denis ("High
Life," "Beau Travail") will lead the jury comprised of Oskar
Alegria (Spain), Francesca Comencini (Italy), Katriel Schory
(Israel), and Christine Vachon (USA).
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