Rome, Aug. 28 (US): Film’s biggest stars seem to shine a little more at the Venice International Film Festival, which kicks off this week in the northern Italian city.
Think of Lady Gaga, the woman who has never shied away from the grand entrance, somehow topping herself as delicately perched on the edge of a moving water taxi and hopping in front of the cameras like classic sirens. Or Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck conjure up old Hollywood glamour to make their official debut as a married couple just last year, the Associated Press (AP) reported.
Whether you’re a celebrity gliding down the red carpet in front of hundreds of flash cameras or an ocean-going spectator daydreaming about a crystal-encrusted Haider Ackermann suit by Timothée Chalamet, or that sexy moment between non-couples Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac, the kind of occasion that ignites the imagination . And that’s all before you enter the theatre.
For director and actress Olivia Wilde, the dream of Venice has been woven into the fabric of her new film, Don’t Worry, Baby. Finishing the festival became a shortcut to the kind of movie she wanted to make.
“We had several studios and screens that wanted to make this movie and I sat down with all of them and said, ‘The road I see leads us to Venice. Wilde said: Which one of you understands what kind of movie was made based on that dream? “For me, Venice is a movie that really embraces everything that is ambitious, romantic and beautiful about cinema. And this movie is really a love letter to movies.”
Wilde went with New Line and Warner Bros. And Her Wish Has Come True: The elegant psychological thriller starring Florence Pugh and Harry Styles as the perfect couple in a post-war experimental society will be out for the first time out of competition on September 5.
Styles, Pugh, and Wilde are just some of the stars expected to appear on the sidewalks outside the luxury Excelsior Hotel and grace the red carpet outside the Palazzo del Cinema. Their presence, along with lifelong laureates Catherine Deneuve, Hugh Jackman, Tilda Swinton, Penelope Cruz, Chalamet and many more, helps transform Lido, the sleepy beach town across the Venetian lagoon from Piazza San Marco, into an enchanting stronghold. A fantasy and cinema on the Adriatic.
This year’s festival is packed with highly anticipated films and performances on the main competition roster: Ana de Armas makes her debut as Marilyn Monroe in Andrew Dominic’s ‘Blonde’; The role of Brendan Fraser in Darren Aronofsky’s new film “Whale” has already been hailed as an award-worthy comeback. Cate Blanchett plays the famous conductor in “TÁR,” director Todd Field’s first film in more than 15 years.
“Todd Field is as great a cinematographer as ever,” said Peter Kojawski, president of Focus Features. “And what Kate does to the character, without saying much, is just something you don’t see implemented at that level very often.”
The festival, which began in 1932 and is heading into its 79th edition, officially kicks off Wednesday night with the premiere of Noah Baumbach’s adaptation of Don DeLillo’s novel “White Noise,” starring Adam Driver and Greta Gerwig.
White Noise is one of four high-profile films on Netflix hoping to impress audiences at the festival, and it’s an important platform not just for the streaming service, but for all Academy Award aspirants. Baumbach’s last film in Venice, “Wedding Story,” went on to receive six Academy Award nominations and won for Laura Dern, who will also return this year in director Florian Zeller’s “The Son.” It’s the first of many fall festivals that will improve the awards conversation for the rest of the year.
Feld, Baumbach, Aronofsky and Zeller are also among a large number of filmmakers with good records at the Oscars who first stopped in Venice in competition: there is also Colin Farrell’s friendship drama directed by Martin McDonagh and Brendan Gleeson “The Banshees of Inisherin”; Alejandro G Inarritu’s comedy “Bardo, or The False Facts of a Handful of Truths”; And Luca Guadagnino’s cannibal romance “Bones and All”, which unites the Italian director with Chalamet.
There are also feature debuts from documentaries Frederic Wiseman (“A Couple”) and Alice Diop (“Saint Omar”) who are among the 23 films competing for the Golden Lion. The coveted award will be decided by a jury led by Julianne Moore and presented at the festival’s closing on September 10.
Co-Chief Media Officer David Lindy, a 30-year veteran of the festival, specifically wanted Venice for the debut of two high-profile documentaries: Academy Award winner Laura Poitras’ “All Beauty and Bloodshed,” about the photographer’s battle Nan Goldin against the Sackler family, who plays in competition, as well as for Steve James, a “merciful spy” about nuclear physicist Ted Hall.
“The opportunity to bring people to the festival is something I appreciate,” Lindy said. “This is really about three great American artists who come to Venice: Laura, Nan, and Steve.”
Venice may not always produce the best winning picture, although there are some movies like “Birdman”, “Spotlight”, “The Shape of Water”, “Nomadland” and many other nominees. But it has become a reliable springboard for the eventual Best Director winner, taking nine in the past decade alone including Silver Lion winner Jane Campion earlier this year.
Movies also go beyond Hollywood, of course, with the entire roster boasting work from around 59 countries including several Academy Award winners, such as Roman Gavras’ Santiago Mitter “Argentina, 1985” and Roman Gavras’ “Athens.”
The festival highlights both the war in Ukraine, with a day dedicated and the premiere of Evgeny Afinevsky’s documentary on the war, as well as the plight of persecuted filmmakers around the world, such as imprisoned Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi whose film Don’t Bear among the competition titles.
The list is also not without some potential controversy: They will also host the premiere of “Call of God” by the late South Korean director Kim Ki-duk, a former gun-winner who has also been accused of sexual assault.
But after a couple of reduced versions, it’s mostly a thrill in the air. The Venice Film Festival is the kind of place that fascinates whether you are a novice or an expert in the industry.
Perhaps it’s the romance in northern Italy or the sense of occasion that comes with being part of the world’s oldest film festival. It might be wanting to step it up a bit to bid farewell to the blast of summer movie season and welcome the more adult fall fare. Or perhaps it’s the blissful unpredictability of Festival awarding its first prize for a year to “Joker,” helping cement the comic book superstar Todd Phillips as a serious contender for awards, and another year on “Happening,” a small French drama about an abortion.
“You come in with a sense of purpose and excitement for any movie you make, but I think all of us in the community share the other side of it that you also feel dizzy as a fan. Everything you could sit in and watch would be a really thoughtful, meaningful and wonderful movie-watching experience,” Kojawski said. “This is the magic of Venice.”
M