VENICE, Italy (AP) — Some of Hollywood’s biggest stars are preparing to visit Venice Film Festival this week, from George Clooney and Angelina Jolie to Lady Gaga and Brad Pitt.
But while the allure of A-listers on these picturesque docks is a welcome return to form after last year’s lower-wattage edition, amid the strikes, The main focus will be on her films. with Cannes, Venice – which runs from August 28 to September 7 – is one of the most glamorous launching pads for awards season. The films that do well at the Lido will dominate the conversation until the Oscars in March.
This year’s program includes both great Hollywood fare (“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”) and “Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2” to “Wolfs”) and a wide selection of fascinating films by authors from all over the world. At festivals, it is best to remain unbiased and see as much as possible — you never know what might happen. In the meantime, here are 10 films to look forward to in Venice.
“Joker: Folie à Deux” (September 4)
No matter which side of the “Joker” discourse They were there five years ago, and the fact that everyone involved would bring the sequel back to Venice and show it in competition there is promising. “Joker: Foil for Two” doesn’t need the festival hype. The first film grossed over a billion dollars and was nominated for 11 Oscars. Venice head Alberto Barbera told Deadline that the film is completely different from the first. It is a dystopian musical that is “one of the most daring, brave and creative films of recent American cinema” and “confirms Todd Phillips as one of the most creative directors of our time.” The film will be released on October 4.
“Mary” (29 August)
Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larraín cannot be overlooked when he makes a film about a famous woman with a tragic story (see: “Spencer”, “Jackie”). This time he is working with screenwriter Steven Knight (“Peaky Blinders”) and Jolie to Opera singer Maria Callas in “Maria”. The soprano was a fixture in the tabloid press, perhaps best known for her affair with Aristotle Onassis, who eventually left her for another of Larraín’s tragic women: Jacqueline Kennedy. Callas died in 1977 at the age of 53, but is still one of the most successful artists in classical music. “Maria” plays in competitions and is looking for a distributor.
“Queer” (September 3)
Luca Guadagnino returns to Venice with “Queer”, an adaptation of the novel by William S. Burroughs, with Daniel Craig in a performance that Barbera has called “career-defining.” It’s about an American expatriate who goes to Mexico City in search of a drug. There he meets all sorts of characters and develops an obsession with a young man. The novel was written in the early 1950s, a companion piece to “Junkie,” but wasn’t published until 1985. Others have tried to adapt it, including Steve Buscemi and Oren Moverman. “Queer” is also seeking distribution.
“The Room Next Door” (September 2)
Julianne Moore (left) and Tilda Swinton in a scene from “The Room Next Door.” (Sony Pictures Classics via AP)
Pedro Almodóvar’s English language debut with Julianne Moore And Tilda Swinton Lead role? We hardly need a description to get excited about it, which is probably a good thing, because the details are vague. He has said it is about an imperfect mother and resentful daughter who are estranged due to a “profound misunderstanding.” In addition to themes such as war, death, friendship and sexual desire, Almodóvar said, “it is also about the joy of waking up in a house in a New England nature reserve to birds announcing a new day.” It will also make a stop at the New York Film Festival ahead of a December release.
“Babygirl” (August 30)
Nicole Kidman in a scene from “Babygirl.” (Niko Tavernise/A24 via AP)
Dutch filmmaker Halina Reijn made this insanely funny “Bodies Bodies Bodies”, That is why we are particularly excited to see what “Babygirl” has in store. The stars of the erotic thriller Nicole Kidman (who came to Venice 25 years ago with “Eyes Wide Shut”) plays a powerful CEO who begins an affair with a younger intern, played by Harris Dickinson (“Triangle of Sadness”, “The Iron Claw”). Antonio Banderas are also co-stars. A24 is planning a theatrical release in December.
“The Brutalist” (September 1)
This 3 1/2 hour drama by the filmmaker Brady Corbet follows the architect László Toth (Adrien Brody) and his wife Erzsébet (Felicity Jones) on a decades-long journey as they flee Europe after World War II and try to build a life for themselves in America. There, Toth meets the industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce), who hires him to design a modernist monument that changes their lives for better and for worse. Corbet (“Vox Lux”) isn’t always a filmmaker for everyone, but he’s always interesting. Focus Features, CAA and Universal are distributing the film, but there’s no release date yet.
“Youth (Homecoming)” (6 September)
There are a whole range of innovative offers in the non-fiction sector: Errol Morris’ “Separated” about the Trump administration’s border policy; Asif Kapadias groundbreaking “2073”; “Pavements”, Alex Ross Perry’s hybrid documentary about the Stephen Malkmus Band; and Andres Veiel’s “Riefenstahl”. But only one made it into the main competition: Wang Bing’s “Youth (Homecoming)”, the conclusion of his Documentary trilogy “Verité” in which he accompanied migrant workers in the textile factories of Zhili, China, over five years. It is seeking distribution.
“April” (September 5)
Georgian filmmaker Dea Kulumbegashvili The second film is about Nina, a gynecologist who works in rural Georgia and performs abortions despite the country’s laws. When a newborn dies in her care, an investigation fuels rumors about her morals and professionalism. Three years after the abortion drama “Happening” won the top prize in Venice, it is rumored that this will be one of the big breakout films. Kulumbegashvili’s debut “Beginning,” about the bombing of a Jehovah’s Witnesses church, made waves at the festivals in 2020. “April,” which is currently seeking a US distributor, is also scheduled to be shown at TIFF and the New York Film Festival.
“The Order” (31 August)
Jude Law is the producer and lead actor of this crime thriller set in the 1980s about a group of white supremacists who suspect the character he plays as an FBI agent of being involved in a series of crimes in the Pacific Northwest. Nicholas Hoult plays the charismatic leader of the group in Director: Justin Kurzel Film coming to theaters in December.
“Harvest” (September 3)
“Attenberg” and “Chevalier” filmmaker Athina Rachel Tsangari returns to the main competition with “Harvest,” an adaptation of the Jim Crace novel set in a medieval English village where the locals use three newcomers as scapegoats for economic turmoil. It is apparently the reason why Star Caleb Landry Jones did his “Dogman” press with a Scottish accent last yearMubi holds distribution rights for several European territories, but no dates or plans for the US have been announced.
BONUS: “Disclaimer” (August 29)
This is not a movie, but this series, which will be released on AppleTV+ on October 11, comes from Alfonso Cuaron, who will be the seven-part psychological thriller Cate Blanchett And Kevin Kline. Blanchett plays a journalist who discovers that she is a character in a novel that reveals her dark secret.
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