The Venice Film Festival, edition 77, gets off to a great start today. Despite the limitations dictated by the emergency of this period, despite the containment of seats available for spectators, despite the absence of the big blockbusters of the Studios which - given the numerous uncertainties imposed by these difficult times - were not ready to participate in the big party of the cinema. There ª 77 Cinema Exhibition of Venice is the first event of this type after the closure imposed by the Coronavirus. The appointment is by 2 12 to September. It should be remembered that this year it will be possible to buy tickets exclusively online, to avoid crowds and queues in front of the ticket offices. Among the novelties of this edition the installation of two outdoor arenas, one in the Giardini della Biennale and one in the Lido. It goes without saying that - the script is now repeated for all the events - access to the cinema spaces will be possible only by respecting the safety measures envisaged: the distancing, the control at the access gates to the film projection areas, the limited entrances. In short, everything that can guarantee safety for operators and the public. Having said that, the party can begin.
It will be a party that, as the president of the Biennale has repeatedly emphasized, the Venetian Robert Cicutto, was born in the name of hope, especially for a sector like that of cinema which in recent months is experiencing a period of great suffering. This will also be witnessed by the eight artistic directors of the main European film festivals present at this evening's opening night, at 18pm, in the Sala Grande at the Palazzo del Cinema del Lido. Alberto Barbera (Venice Exhibition), Charles Chatrian (Berlinale), Thierry Fremaux (Festival de Cannes ), Lili Hinstin (Locarno Film Festival), Vanya Kaludjeric (Rotterdam Film Festival), Karel Oh (Karlovy Vary), Jose Luis Rebordinos (San Sebastian), Tricia Tuttle (London Film Festival) will take the stage to read a shared document which reaffirms the inalienable value of cinema. It will be a moment of great solidarity for a cultural sector so strongly affected by the pandemic.
The exhibition of the restart for women. Almost half of the films in competition directed by women
The official poster (by the Italian illustrator Lorenzo Mattotti) of the exhibition speaks volumes. It is an image taken from the opening theme of the Festival and represents two equilibrists. It suggests the difficulties, from whatever side you want to see it, of this edition. But also the ability, albeit with many acrobatics, to overcome them. Despite the many limitations compared to past editions, the 77th edition of the Venice Film Festival will still be a very international festival.
“The program of this year's exhibition, - explains the director of the Festival Alberto Barbera - to put it with Bob Dylan, contains multitudes: of films, genres, perspectives. The invited films are a substantial number and only slightly less than the traditional Venetian proposals. A sign that cinema has not been overwhelmed by the tsunami of the pandemic, but retains an enviable vitality ”. Also on the program this year is auteur films, comedies, documentaries, horror films and gangster movies… “With an extremely interesting generational change, which also includes the female component, hitherto relegated to embarrassing percentages. In the Venice 77 competition, almost half are films directed by women, selected exclusively on the basis of quality criteria and not following gender protocols ".
Pre-opening dedicated to Venice during the lockdown
The films in competition for the Golden Lion 2020 - which will be assigned by the international jury chaired by Cate Blanchett - are 18 (films, documentaries, short films). Four are Italians. The film will open the event Shoelaces di Daniel Lucchetti with Alba Rohrwacher and Luigi Lo Cascio. Closing film will be let me go di Stefano Mordini, with Stefano Accorsi and Valeria Golino. Both are out of competition. Meanwhile, yesterday, in the Sala Darsena and at the PalaBiennale, pre-opening with the new film by the Venetian director Andrea secret, the documentary Molecules. Very current film, dedicated to Venice closed for Coronavirus.
Godmother of the event is the actress Anna Foglietta which this evening will open the 77th International Exhibition on the stage of the Sala Grande at the Palazzo del Cinema del Lido. The ceremony will be broadcast live in Italian cinemas and will be enriched by another extraordinary and equally important moment. Thanks to the availability of the producers and the distribution company, the participating cinemas, subject to agreements with 01 Distribution, will screen the opening film out of competition at the same time as the presentation in Venice. Shoelaces, Directed by Daniele luchetti. La Foglietta will also lead the closing ceremony on 12 September, when the Lions and other official prizes of this edition will be announced.
Two outdoor arenas on the Lido and the Giardini della Biennale
Now everything is ready. The cinema village that every year animates the spaces of the Lungomare del Lido between theHotel Excelsior, the Palazzo del Cinema and the terrace in front of the Casino. The two outdoor arenas at the Lido and the Giardini della Biennale, certainly motivated by these times of health emergency but which promise to be greedy locations to watch the films of the Festival.
And the many other spaces that will host the event. Maybe there will be a little lack of glamor, some high-sounding names will not be there. Alba Rohrwacher and Luigi Lo Cascio from Lucchetti's film are expected. For the film I predatori, the director and actor Pietro Castellitto, son of Sergio Castellitto. But also Renzo Rossellini and Pedro Almodovar, Pier Francesco Savino and Alessandro Gassman, Angela Finocchiaro….
The red carpet has been confirmed, adapted to the social distancing protocol for the delegations that will access the great hall of the Palazzo del Cinema. And the public will be able to attend, albeit at a safe distance. In a special year, this edition of the 77th edition of the Venice Film Festival promises to be a special edition.
THU the Festival program.
