One of the most significant film events of the year, the Venice Film Festival, began in Italy on August 28 and will last until September 7. The Biennale is the oldest in the world: it was founded in 1932 and has become an annual event since 1935. This festival is also among the most prestigious: it is second only to Cannes. The program will also feature two Ukrainian films that have been screened out of competition.
This year’s festival started with a black comedy, “Beatlejuice,” by American director Tim Burton. The film is a sequel to the 1988 film by the same director. It depicts the life and unusual adventures of the Dietz family — mother Lydia and teenage daughter Astrid. They have moved to a country house, and, like Lydia several decades ago, Astrid stumbles upon the old town in the attic and unleashes the mischievous ghoul Keaton.
Astrid is played by Veep star Jenna Ortega, and Lydia is played by Winona Ryder.
The competition’s highlights include Joker: A Folly for Two by American director Todd Phillips, Maria by Chilean director Pablo Larraín, the erotic thriller Baby by Dutch director Halina Rein, starring Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson, and Pedro Almodovar’s first English-language film, Room Next Door, starring Moore and Swinton.
Several Hollywood films will also be screened out of competition: “Wolves” with Pitt and Clooney,” Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 2″, and ‘”Beatlejuice, Beatlejuice.'”
Ukrainian films at the festival
According to the Ukrainian State Film Agency, the festival will host a Ukrainian Day supporting Ukraine. This event will allow dialogue between Ukrainian and international film industry representatives.
Two Ukrainian films will also be presented outside the competition program in Venice. The film Songs of a Slowly Burning Land by director and screenwriter Olga Zhurba will be screened in the Non-Fiction section. This is a story about the events of Russia’s war against Ukraine and the transformation of society against this background.
Another film, Honeymoon by Zhanna Ozirna, is included in the Biennale College Cinema program. The film’s protagonists are a couple of lovers who are caught up in the war in their home near Kyiv. They are effectively blocked and cut off from the world – without mobile communication, electricity, or water.
The festival’s highest honor, the Golden Lion, goes to the best film, the Silver Lion is awarded to the best director, the Volpi Cup honors the best actors, and the Lion of the Future is given to the best first film. Since 2007, the Blue Lion has also been awarded for the best film dealing with LGBT and queer culture.
This year, the 81st Venice Film Festival jury will be headed by French actress Isabelle Huppert.
She is one of the biggest stars in the French and world cinema. She has won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival twice: first for A Woman’s Business in 1988 and then for The Ceremony in 1995, both directed by Claude Chabrol.