As the largest writers and actors strike in years rages on through Hollywood, over in Venice it seems like it’s business as usual, with the Venice Biennale announcing a typically exciting lineup of movies for the upcoming 80th edition to its annual film festival.
The Venice Film Festival was making headlines just last week when Luca Guadagnino’s latest feature Challengers pulled out of the festival after previously being announced as the opening film. The Zendaya-led drama is sure to be a smash hit, but if the news came as a blow to the festival, you wouldn’t know it by looking at their quite confident lineup in-competition this year.
Notable entries include the long-awaited follow-up to Bradley Cooper’s masterful debut A Star Is Born–Maestro, which charts the life of composer Leonard Bernstein and his marriage to Felicia Montealegre–,Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla–which charts the life of Priscilla Presley and her marriage to Elvis Presley (noticing a pattern here?), Ava Duvernay’s Origin, her adaptation of the Isabel Wilkerson novel Caste: The Origin of Our Discontents. Also inviting anticipation anticipation in-competition is Evil Does Not Exist from Ryusake Hamaguchi, fresh off his surprise awards contender (and best film of the year, alongside Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy) Drive My Car, as well as David Fincher’s The Killer, a return for the filmmaker to his psychological-thriller roots, and starring Michael Fassbender as the titular killer. Other in-competition features include Michael Mann with Ferrari and Yorgos Lanthimos with his ensemble-piece Poor Things.
Controversially, Roman Polanski and Woody Allen both feature on the lineup this year, both out-of-competition with The Palace and Coupe de Chance, respectively. Acting as a much-needed silver lining on the out-of-competition strand are new features from William Friedkin (The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial), Richard Linklater (Hit-Man), and Wes Anderson (The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar), J.A Bayona (Society of the Snow), and Harmony Korine (Aggro Dr1ft).
It’s unclear, how the strikes will affect the festival this year—the Biennale opens its doors on the 20th August, and a lot can happen in a month. Regardless, the lineup this year promises a slate of movies as electrifying as it does every year.
Check out the full lineup below:
COMPETITION
“Comandante,” Edoardo De Angelis (Italy) – Opening Film
“The Promised Land,” Nikolaj Arcel (Denmark, Germany, Sweden)
“Dogman,” Luc Besson (France)
“Le Bête,” Bertrand Bonello (France, Canada)
“Hors-Saison,” Stéphane Brizé (France)
“Enea,” Pietro Castellitto (Italy)
“Maestro,” Bradley Cooper (U.S.)
“Priscilla,” Sofia Coppola (U.S., Italy)
“Finally Dawn,” Saverio Costanzo (Italy)
“Lubo,” Giorgio Diritti (Italy)
“Origin,” Ava DuVernay (U.S.)
“The Killer,” David Fincher (U.S.)
“Memory,” Michel Franco (Mexico, U.S.)
“Io Capitano,” Matteo Garrone (Italy, Belgium)
“Evil Does Not Exist,” Ryûsuke Hamaguchi (Japan)
“The Green Border,” Agnieszka Holland (Czech Republic, Poland, Belgium)
“The Theory of Everything,” Timm Kröger (Germany, Austria, Switzerland)
“Poor Things,” Yorgos Lanthimos (U.K.)
“El Conde,” Pablo Larrain (Chile)
“Ferrari,” Michael Mann (U.S.)
“Adagio,” Stefano Sollima (Italy)
“Woman Of,” Malgorzata Szumowska, Michal Englert (Poland, Sweden)
“Holly,” Fien Torch (Belgium, The Netherlands, Luxembourg, France)
OUT OF COMPETITION – NON-FICTION
“Amor,” Virginia Eleuteri Serpieri (Italy, Lithuania)
“Frente A Guernica,” (Uncut Version) Yervant Gianikian, Angela Ricci Lucchi (Italy)
“Hollywoodgate,” Ibrahim Nash’at (Germany, U.S.)
“Ryuichi Sakamoto — Opus,” Neo Sora (Japan)
“Enzo Jannacci Vengo Anch’io,” Giorgio Verdelli (Italy)
“Menus Plaisirs,” Frederik Wiseman (France)
OUT OF COMPETITION — FICTION
“Society of the Snow,” J.A. Bayona (Spain, Uruguay, Chile) – Closing Film
“Coup de Chance,” Woody Allen (France, U.K.)
“The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar,” Wes Anderson (U.S.)
“The Penitent,” Luca Barbareschi (Italy)
“L’Ordine Del Tempo,” Liliana Cavani (Italy)
“Vivants,” Alix Delaporte (France, Belgium)
“Welcome to Paradise,” Leonardo di Constanzo
“DAAAAAALI!,” Quentin Dupieux (France)
“The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial,” William Friedkin
“Making of,” Cédric Kahn (France)
“Aggro Dr1ft,” Harmony Korine (U.S.)
“Hit Man,” Richard Linklater (U.S.)
“The Palace,” Roman Polanski (Poland, France)
“Snow Leopard,” Pema Tseden (China)
OUT OF COMPETITION – SERIES
“D’argent et de sang” (Episodes 1-12), Xavier Giannoli, Fredéric Planchon (France, Belgium)
“I Know Your Soul” (Episodes 1-2), created by Jasmila Zbanic and Damir Ibrahimovic, directed by Alen Drjević and Nermin Hamzagic (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
HORIZONS
“A Cielo Aperto,” Mariana Arriaga, Santiago Arriaga (Mexico, Spain)
“El Paraiso,” Enrico Maria Artale (Italy)
“Behind the Mountains,” Mohamed Ben Attia (Tunisia, Belgium, France, Saudi Arabia, Qatar)
“The Red Suitcase,” Fidel Devkota (Nepal, Sri Lanka)
“Tatami,” Guy Native, Zar Amir Ebrahimi (Georgia, U.S.)
“Paradise is Burning,” Mika Gustavson (Sweden, Italy, Denmark, Finland)
“The Featherweight,” Robert Colony (U.S.)
“Invelle,” Simone Massi (Italy, Switzerland)
“Hesitation Wound,” Selman Nacar (Turkey, Spain, Romania, France)
“Heartless,” Nara Normande, Tião (Brazil, France, Italy)
“Una Sterminata Domenica,” Alain Parroni (Italy, Germany, Ireland)
“City of Wind,” Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir (France, Mongolia, Portugal, The Netherlands)
“Explanation for Everything,” Gábor Reisz (Hungary, Slovacchia)
“Gasoline Rainbow,” Bill Ross, Turner Ross (U.S.)
“En Attendant La Nuit,” Céline Rouzet (France, Belgium)
“Housekeeping for Beginners,” Goran Stolevski (North Macedonia, Poland, Croatia, Serbia, Kosovo)
“Shadow of Fire,” Shinya Tsukamoto (Japan)
“Dormitory,” Nehir Tuna (Turkey, Germany, France)
HORIZONS EXTRA
“Bota Jonë,” Luàna Barjami (Kosovo, France)
“Forever Forever,” Anna Buryachkova (Ukraine, The Netherlands)
“The Rescue,” Daniela Goggi (Argentina, U.S.)
“Day of the Fight,” Jack Huston (U.S.)
“In the Land of Saints and Sinners,” Robert Lorenz (Ireland)
“Felicità,” Micaela Ramazzotti (Italy)
“Pet Shop Boys,” Olmo Schnabel (Italy, U.K. Mexico)
“Stolen,” Karan Tejpal (India)
“L’Homme D’Argille,” Anaïs Tellene (France)
