The 77th iteration of the world’s oldest film festival is being touted as the first (traditional) film festival in the era of coronavirus. After many other prominent film festivals cancelled or postponed their 2020 outings, all eyes were on Venice to see if they’d follow suit. However, as health situations in Italy and Europe at-large began to improve, festival director Alberto Barbera decided to stick to course and proceed with the early September festival as planned. “…[T]he situation in Italy is getting better and better day after day,” Barbera said in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter. “The number of infections is quite limited [and] at the moment the situation is under control. We are taking a risk of course holding the festival but I think it’s very important to give a sign of optimism and show to the world that a film festival can take place under these conditions. Venice should be a restart for everybody. The beginning of a new hope.”
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Breakdown
Observers have pointed out the lack of American studio films in this year’s line-up. This is in contrast to the festival’s recent reputation as a launching pad for the Oscars and awards season at-large. Barbera points out that this is partly due to Europe’s travel ban on Americans in the wake of said country’s rampant COVID-19 outbreak. However, he doesn’t mean that the selected films are of any lesser quality by comparison. “…[W]e got a lot of submissions from around the world and the quality was very high,” Barbera said, commenting on the lineup’s more art-house leanings. “I’m very satisfied with our selection this year.” Critics have also pointed out the prominence of women directors in the official selection this year. Eight of the 18 selected titles are directed by women, compared with last year’s 21-title selection only including two. This means Venice is almost at gender parity with its profiled artists, which is nearly in-line with the 50/50 protocol the festival signed back in 2018. Barbera, although, is adamant that the selected films were not chosen solely to reach that quota: The rest of the festival’s lineup isn’t so closely divided, but Barbera is still right in that the Competition’s parity is a positive sign.
OFFICIAL SELECTION
COMPETITION
In Between Dying / Azerbaijan, United States (dir: Hilal Baydarov) Le Sorelle Macaluso / Italy (dir: Emma Dante) The World To Come / United States (dir: Mona Fastvold) Nuevo Orden / Mexico, France (dir: Michel Franco) Lovers / France (dir: Nicole Garcia) Laila in Haifa / Israel, France (dir: Amos Gitai) Dear Comrades / Russia (dir: Andrei Konchalovsky) Wife Of A Spy / Japan (dir: Kiyoshi Kurosawa) Sun Children / Iran (dir: Majid Majidi) Pieces Of A Woman / Canada, Hungary (dir: Kornél Mundruczó) Miss Marx / Italy, Belgium (dir: Susanna Nicchiarelli) Padrenostro / Italy (dir: Claudio Noce) Nocturnal / Italy (dir: Gianfranco Rosi) Never Gonna Snow Again / Poland, Germany (dirs: Malgorzata Szumowska, Michal Englert) The Disciple / India (dir: Chaitanya Tamhane) And Tomorrow The Entire World / Germany, France (dir: Julia Von Heinz) Quo Vadis, Aida? / Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania, Austria, Netherland, France, Poland, Germany (dir: Jasmila Zbanic) Nomadland / United States (dir: Chloé Zhao)
HORIZONS
Apples / Greece, Poland, Slovenia (dir: Christos Nikou) La Troisième Guerre / France (dir: Giovanni Aloi) Milestone / India (dir: Ivan Ayr) The Wasteland / Iran (dir: Ahmad Bahrami) The Man Who Sold His Skin / Tunisia, France, Germany, Belgium, Sweden (dir: Kaouther Ben Hania) I Predatori / Italy (dir: Pietro Castellitto) Mainstream / United States (dir: Gia Coppola) Genus Pan / Philippines (dir: Lav Diaz) Zanka Contact / Morocco, France, Belguim (dir: Ismael El Iraki) Guerra E Pace / Italy, Switzerland (dirs: Martina Parenti, Massimo D’Anolfi) La Nuit Des Rois / Ivory Coast, France, Canada (dir: Philippe Lacôte) The Furnace / Australia (dir: Roderick Mackay) Careless Crime / Iran (dir: Shahram Mokri) Gaza Mon Amour / Palestine, France, Germany, Qatar (dirs: Tarzan Nasser, Arab Nasser) Selva Tragica / Mexico, France, Colombia (dir: Yulene Olaizola) Nowhere Special / United Kingdom, Italy, Romania (dir: Uberto Pasolini) Listen / United Kingdom, Portugal (dir: Ana Rocha de Sousa) The Best Is Yet To Come / China (dir: Wang Jing) Yellow Cat / Kazakhstan, France (dir: Adilkhan Yerzhanov)
SHORT FILMS – IN COMPETITION
Anita / United States (dir. Sushma Khadepaun) BMM – Being My Mom / Italy (dir. Jasmine Trinca) Entre tú y milagros / Colombia, United States (dir. Marianna Saffon) À fleur de peau / Qatar, Algeria, France (dir. Meriem Mesraoua) The Game / Switzerland (dir. Roman Hodel) Live in a Cloud Cuckoo Land / Vietnam (dir. Ngh?a V? Minh) The Night Train / Sweden (dir. Jerry Carlsson) Places / Lithuania (dir. Vytautas Katkus) The Shift / United Kingdom (dir. Laura Carreira) Sogni al campo / Italy, France (dir. Magda Guidi) Was Wahrscheinlich Passiert Wäre, Wäre Ich Nicht Zuhause / Germany (dir. Willy Hans) Workshop / New Zealand (dir. Judah Finnigan)
SHORT FILMS – OUT OF COMPETITION
The Return of Tragedy / France (dir. Bertrand Mandico) Sì / Italy (dir. Luca Ferri)
OUT OF COMPETITION – FICTION
The Ties / Italy (dir: Daniele Lucheti) Lasciami Andare / Italy (dir: Stefano Mordini) Mandibules / France, Belgium (dir: Quentin Dupieux) Love After Love / China (dir: Ann Hui) Assandira / Italy (dir: Salvatore Mereu) The Duke / United Kingdom (dir: Roger Michell) Night In Paradise / South Korea (dir: Park Soon-jung) Mosquito State / Poland (dir: Filip Jan Rymsza) OUT OF COMPETITION – NON-FICTION Sportin’ Life / Italy (dir: Abel Ferrara) Crazy, Not Insane / United States (dir: Alex Gibney) Greta / Sweden (dir: Nathan Grossman) Salvatore, Shoemaker Of Dreams / Italy (dir: Luca Guadagnino) Final Account / United Kingdom (dir: Luke Holland) La Verita Su La Dolce Vita / Italy (dir: Giuseppe Pedersoli) Molecole / Italy (dir: Andrea Segre) Narciso Em Ferias / Brazil (dirs: Renato Terra, Ricardo Calil) Paulo Conte, Via Con Me / Italy (dir: Giorgio Verdelli) Hopper/Welles / United States (dir: Orson Welles)
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OUT OF COMPETITION – SPECIAL SCREENINGS
30 Monedas, Episode 1 / Spain (dir: Alex de la Iglesia) Princesse Europe / France (dir: Camille Lotteau) Omelia Contadina / Italy (dir: Alice Rohrwacher, JR) Leave your thoughts on the Venice International Film Festival 2020 Lineup below (via THR) in the comments section. Readers seeking to support this type of content can visit our Patreon Page and become one of FilmBook’s patrons. For more Venice International Film Festival news coverage, photos, videos, and information, visit our Film Festival Page. This year’s Venice International Film Festival will be held from September 2-12, 2020 in Venice, Italy. Want up-to-the-minute notifications? FilmBook staff members publish articles by Email, Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr.
