Europe’s oldest film festival, which has become a springboard for the Oscars, will open with the world premiere of “La Grazia,” by Italian filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino (“The Great Beauty,” 2013), starring his favorite actor, Toni Servillo. And Fernanda Torres.
Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro’s highly anticipated latest work, “Frankenstein,” based on Mary Shelley’s novel and produced by Netflix, promises an exceptional red carpet reception with appearances by Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Christoph Waltz, and Mia Goth.
The Mostra director was particularly moved when presenting “The Voice of Hind Rajab,” by Tunisian director Kaouther ben Hania, which tells the story of the death of a six-year-old Palestinian woman in Gaza while “trying to flee with her family during an Israeli attack” in early 2024.
Three French films are in contention: “The Stranger,” by François Ozon, a black-and-white adaptation of Albert Camus’s novel, starring Benjamin Voisin. Also in the running is “A Pied d’oeuvre,” by Valérie Donzelli, starring Bastien Bouillon and Virginie Ledoyen, about a successful photographer who abandons everything to become a writer. Olivier Assayas (“Sils Maria,” 2014) rounds out the list with “The Wizard of the Kremlin,” an adaptation of Giuliano da Empoli’s novel, starring British director Jude Law, “impressive in the role of (Vladimir) Putin,” according to Barbera.
At 57, Julia Roberts will walk the festival’s red carpet for the first time with Luca Guadagnino’s “After the Hunt” (out of competition), in which she plays a university professor confronted by a sex scandal.
Also out of competition, American director Gus Van Sant will return to the festival with “Dead Man’s Wire,” starring Al Pacino, and Cédric Gimenez (“Bac Nord”) will present “Chien 51,” a science fiction dystopia starring Gilles Lelouche, Romain Duris, and Adèle Exarchopoulos. See the films competing for the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival:
“La Grazia”
(Opening Film)
Director: Paolo Sorrentino
Cast: Toni Servillo, Anna Ferzetti
Italy – 131 minutes
“The Wizard of the Kremlin”
Director: Olivier Assayas
Cast: Paul Dano, Jude Law, Alicia Vikander, Tom Sturridge, Jeffrey Wright
France – 120 minutes
“Jay Kelly”
Director: Noah Baumbach
Cast: George Clooney, Adam Sandler, Laura Dern, Billy Crudup, Riley Keough, Grace Edwards, Stacy Keach, Jim Broadbent, Patrick Wilson
USA/UK/Italy – 132 minutes
“The Voice of Hind Rajab”
Director: Kauther Ben Hania
Cast: Amer Hlehel, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees, Saja Kilani
Tunisia/France – 89 minutes
“House of Dynamite”
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Cast: Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, Gabriel Basso
USA – 112 minutes
“The Sun Rises on Us All”
Director: Cai Shangjun
Cast: Xin Zhilei, Zhang Songwen, Feng Shaofeng
China – 133 minutes
“Frankenstein”
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Cast: Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Christoph Waltz, Mia Goth, Charles Dance
USA – 149 minutes
“Elisa”
Director: Leonardo Di Costanzo
Cast: Barbara Ronchi, Roschdy Zem, Diego Ribon, Valeria Golino
Italy – 105 minutes
“À Pied d’Oeuvre”
Director: Valérie Donzelli
Cast: Bastien Bouillon, André Marcon, Virginie Ledoyen
France – 92 minutes
“Silent Friend”
Director: Ildikó Enyedi
Cast: Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Luna Wedler, Enzo Brumm, Léa Seydoux
Germany/France/Hungary – 145 minutes
“The Testament of Ann Lee”
Director: Mona Fastvold
Cast: Amanda Seyfried, Thomasin McKenzie, Lewis Pullman, Stacy Martin
United Kingdom – 130 minutes
“Father Mother Sister Brother”
Director: Jim Jarmusch
Cast: Tom Waits, Adam Driver, Mayim Bialik, Charlotte Rampling, Cate Blanchett
USA/Ireland/France – 110 minutes
“Bugonia”
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
Cast: Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Aidan Delbis, Stavros Halkias, Alicia Silverstone
United Kingdom – 117 minutes
“Duse”
Directed by: Pietro Marcello
Cast: Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Fanni Wrochna, Noémie Merlant, Fausto Russo Alesi
Italy – 122 minutes
“A Film Fatto per Bene”
Directed by: Franco Maresco
Italy – 100 minutes
“Orphan”
Directed by: László Nemes
Cast: Bojtorján Barabas, Andrea Waskovics, Grégory Gadebois
Hungary/United Kingdom/Germany/France – 132 minutes
“L’Étranger”
Directed by: François Ozon
Cast: Benjamin Voisin, Rebecca Marder, Pierre Lottin, Denis Lavant, Swann Arlaud
France – 120 minutes
“No Other Choice”
Director: Park Chan-wook
Cast: Lee Byung-hun, Son Yejin, Park Hee-soon, Lee Sung-min
South Korea – 139 minutes
“Sotto le Nuvole”
Director: Gianfranco Rosi
Italy – 115 minutes
“The Smashing Machine”
Director: Benny Safdie
Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt
Canada/USA/Japan – 123 minutes
“Girl”
Director: Shu Qi
Cast: Roy Chiu, Bai Xiao Ying
Taiwan – 125 minutes
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