The movie’s biggest stars seem to shine a little brighter at the Venice International Film Festival, which kicks off this week in the northern Italian city.
Think of Lady Gaga. It’s the woman who never escapes from the grand entrance, subtly perched on the edge of a moving water taxi, vamping for the camera like a classic screen siren. Evoking the Hollywood glamour of yesteryear, Affleck officially debuted as a couple last year.
Whether you’re a celebrity skating down the red carpet in front of hundreds of camera flashes, or an onlooker daydreaming about Timothée Chalamet’s crystal-encrusted Haider Ackermann suit, the uncoupled Jessica Chastain and Whether it’s that touching moment during Oscar Isaac, it’s an opportunity to ignite your imagination. This is the story before you step into the theater.
For director and actor Olivia Wilde, the dream of Venice is woven into the fabric of her new film Don’t Worry Darling. Attending her festivals became shorthand for the kinds of films she wanted to make.
“There were several studios and streamers who wanted to make this movie, and I sat down with all of them and said, ‘The roads I see lead us to Venice.
Who of you understands what kind of movie you were making based on that dream?” said Wilde. And this movie is truly a love letter to cinema.”
Wilde got her wish by joining New Line and Warner Bros. The stylish psychological thriller, which stars Florence Pugh and Harry Styles as a picture-perfect couple in an experimental post-war community, makes its competitive global debut on September 5th.
Styles, Pugh and Wilde are just a few of the stars expected to pose on the docks outside the opulent Hotel Excelsior or grace the red carpet outside the Palazzo del Cinema. Their presence, along with Catherine Deneuve, Hugh Jackman, Tilda Swinton, Penelope Cruz, Chalamet, and many others, is part of Lido, the laid-back beach town across the Venetian lagoon from Piazza San Marco. help transform it into a charming fortress. , Adriatic fantasy and cinema.
This year’s festival is piling up the main competition slate with highly anticipated films and performances. Anna de Her Almas makes her debut as Marilyn Her Monroe in ‘Blonde’ directed by Andrew Dominic. Brendan and his Fraser’s turn in Darren Aronofsky’s new movie The Whale has already been well received. as an award-worthy comeback. Cate Blanchett plays a famous conductor in her first film in over 15 years, ‘TÁR’, directed by Todd Field.
“Todd Field is the leading film artist of all time,” said Peter Kuzyowski, chairman of Focus Features. This level is very frequent. ”
The 79th edition of the festival, which began in 1932, officially kicks off Wednesday night with the premiere of Don DeLillo’s seminal novel White Noise, starring Adam Driver and Greta Gerwig, adapted by Noah Baumbach.
‘White Noise’ is one of four high-profile Netflix movies hoping to grab attention not only on the streaming service, but also at festivals, an important platform for all Oscar nominees. It earned her six Oscar nominations, with Laura Dern her one. Laura Dern also stars in Florian Zeller’s “The Son” this year. It’s the first of many fall festivals to refine the awards conversation for the rest of the year.
Field, Baumbach, Aronofsky and Zeller are also among the many filmmakers with an Oscar-winning record, and they will be making their first stop in Venice in the competition: Martin McDonagh’s Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson. Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s comedy Bardo, or the False Chronicles of a Handful of Truths; Luca Guadagnino’s cannibalistic romance Bones and All with an Italian director. Chalamet reunite.
Among the 23 films vying for the Golden Lion are two narrative debuts by documentarians Frédéric Wiseman (“The Couple”) and Alice Diop (“Saint Omer”). The coveted prize will be decided by a panel of judges led by Julianne Moore and announced at the end of the festival on September 10th.
Participant Media CEO David Linde, a 30-year festival veteran, wanted Venice specifically for the debut of two high-profile documentaries. Steve James’ Compassionate Spy about the competing Sackler family and nuclear physicist Ted Hall.
“The opportunity to bring people to this festival is a treasure for me. It means that three great American artists are coming to Venice: Laura, Nunn and Steve.”
With many nominations, including ‘Birdman,’ ‘Spotlight,’ ‘The Shape of Water,’ and ‘Nomadland,’ Venice doesn’t always win Best Picture. But it does provide a credible starting point for the eventual Best Director winner, claiming nine in the last decade alone, including Jane Campion, who won the Silver Lion award earlier this year.
Of course, cinema goes beyond Hollywood, with works from around 59 countries including Oscar nominees on every slate, including Santiago Mitre’s ‘Argentina, 1985′ and Romain Gavras’ ‘Athena’.
The festival puts the spotlight on the war in Ukraine, with the premiere of Yevgeny Afineevsky’s documentary on a day of devotion and war, and the persecuted people around the world, like the imprisoned Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi. It focuses on the plight of the director. ” is in the competition title.
And Slate is not without potential controversy. They will also host the premiere of “Call of God” by the late Korean filmmaker Kim Ki-duk.
But after two reduced editions, it’s mostly airborne excitement. The Venice Film Festival is a fascination for first-timers and industry veterans alike.
Maybe it’s the romanticism of northern Italy, or maybe it’s the special feeling you get from participating in the world’s oldest film festival. It could be a desire to move up a notch to say goodbye to the bombshells of the summer movie season and welcome fall’s more adult fare. • Perhaps it’s the festival’s delightful unpredictability that helped establish Phillips’ big studio comic book film as a serious award contender.
“Whatever movie they bring, we go into it with both a sense of purpose and excitement, but I think all of us in the community share another aspect that makes us just giddy as fans.” That’s the magic of Venice.”
