The Venice International Film Festival in Venice, Italy is known for launching Oscar hopefuls. The world’s oldest film festival is one of the most glamorous. It marks the start of the fall film festival season.
In the last couple of years award-winning movies, Roma, A Star Is Born and The Shape of Water all premiered at Venice.
76th Venice Film Festival
The 76th Venice International Film Festival is at the Venice Lido in Venice Italy from August 28th to September 7th, 2019.
This year’s selections are criticized for the lack of female directors. Only two of the twenty-one films in competition were directed by women. There is also #MeToo angst for the inclusion of films by directors with a history of sex crimes.
The jury was led by Argentine director Lucrecia Martel (Zama)
There are a few films with Latin stars or about Latin culture
The opening night film is The Truth by Hirokazu Kore-eda. It stars French actresses Catherine Deneuve and Juliette Binoche in a Paris setting.
Steven Soderbergh’s The Laundromat starring Meryl Streep is a story about the Panama Papers. In case you don’t remember, the Panama Papers were a group of documents released to journalists that detailed a Panamanian law firm’s methods for hiding money from taxes. It is a Netflix film.
Joker by Todd Phillips is the origin story of Batman’s arch-enemy. It stars Joaquin Phoenix who was born in Puerto Rico.
Wasp Network by French director Olivier Assayas tells the true story of the “Cuban Five” who worked for the Cuban government in Florida with the consent of the U.S. government until being arrested as spies. It stars Penélope Cruz (Spain), Édgar Ramírez (Venezuela) and Gael García Bernal (Mexico).
The King by David Michôd, stars French actor Timothée Chalamet. It’s a mashup of King Henry V stories by Shakespeare.
76th Venice Film Festival Winners
These are the main competition winners with a Latin connection.
- Golden Lion: Joker by Todd Phillips starring Joaquin Phoenix
- Volpi Cup for Best Actress: Ariane Ascaride for Gloria Mundi
- Volpi Cup for Best Actor: Luca Marinelli for Martin Eden
- Special Jury Prize: The Mafia is No Longer What it Used to Be by Franco Maresco
Follow the festival at labiennale.org