by InTrieste
The 2024 Venice International Film Festival, marking its 81st edition, kicks off this week at the picturesque Lido in the Italian canal city, running from August 28 to September 7. This year’s festival promises a resurgence of Hollywood glamour, a notable shift from last year’s event which saw a diminished star presence due to industry-wide labor strikes.
Under the direction of Alberto Barbera, the festival has once again attracted a constellation of A-list stars. The red carpet will see appearances from George Clooney, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Nicole Kidman, Joaquin Phoenix, Daniel Craig, Cate Blanchett, and Lady Gaga.
A prominent highlight of this year’s festival is the jury, led by acclaimed French actress Isabelle Huppert, which will adjudicate the 21 films contending for the prestigious Golden Lion.
Among the highly anticipated films in competition are Pedro Almodóvar’s The Room Next Door, featuring Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore, which explores the strained relationship between a war correspondent mother and her daughter. Also drawing considerable attention is Todd Phillips’ Joker: Folie à Deux, a sequel to the 2019 hit, starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga. Additionally, Dutch director Halina Reijn’s Babygirl, an erotic thriller featuring Nicole Kidman and Antonio Banderas, promises to captivate audiences.
The festival is also showcasing five Italian films: Maura Delpero’s Vermiglio, the Mountain Bride, set in a village in the Dolomites at the end of World War Two; Gianni Amelio’s Battlefield, depicting the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918-19; Sicilian Letters by Fabio Grassadonia and Antonio Piazza, focusing on a fugitive mafia boss; Luca Guadagnino’s Queer, an adaptation of William Burroughs’ work starring Daniel Craig; and Giulia Louise Steigerwalt’s Diva Futura, which delves into the life of Italian pornographer Riccardo Schicchi.
A major talking point of the festival’s out-of-competition lineup is Tim Burton’s much-anticipated sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, which will open the festival on Wednesday. Additionally, Brad Pitt and George Clooney star in Wolfs, a film about two solitary professional fixers who must join forces.
The festival will also honor classic cinema with a pre-opening screening of Vittorio De Sica’s L’oro di Napoli (1954), starring Sofia Loren, in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the director’s passing.
For further details on the festival’s schedule and events, see La Biennale di Venezia website.
