Aside from the non-intentional reference (even though not entirely misplaced due to its movie-related nature) to the 2012 rom-com starring Cameron Diaz and Jennifer Lopez, what we’re actually making reference to, here, is anything like parenthood expectations, but rather the run-up to one of the richest, most awaited, most glamourous and most renowned film festivals in the world. Let the countdown to the 76th edition of the Venice International Film Festival officially begin!
Great expectations, this year, for the wide and varied range of movies accurately selected by Director Alberto Barbera and his team; the line-up is multicolored – as it’s always been since when Barbera’s been running the show – in terms of both nationality of the participants and genre of the elected works: Italy, UK, France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Czech Republic, Australia, China, USA, South America and many more, in and out of competition with feature films, short films and documentaries, all with good chances of being little gems of international cinema, ready to be discovered and honored as they deserve in the next award season.
What is no less gossiped in the pre-Venice weeks is the mastery of the world of fashion and its mechanisms that’ll be shown off during the Festival: red carpets, parties, professional photoshoots and paparazzied boat tours in the lagoon are among the most eagerly awaited events that mark out this 10-day celebrity exhibition, making the Festival one of the major annual fashion occurrences, as well as a high-profile self-promotion platform for both newcomers and veterans of the film industry.
Film and fashion addicts, stay tuned: mark your calendar now for August 28th – September 7th and, if there’s some movie you’d want to preview, some celebrity you’d want to meet, or even if you’re just feeling like breathing some cinephile air, pay a visit to the Lido. Additionally or alternatively, follow us to stay up to date on the news and goings-on of #Venice76.
________
The 2019 Chosen Ones
Here’s a quick overview on the most awaited movies and celebrities of this year’s Festival edition:
1. The Veterans
The habitués, the experts in the field, the international talents well-loved from young and old alike:
Brad Pitt stars in the sci-fi “Ad Astra,” the story of an astronaut trying to solve the mystery of his father’s disappearance in a mission outside our Solar System;
Meryl Streep is in competition with “The Laundromat” by Stephen Soderbergh, where she plays a widow investigating on the mysterious Panama City-based financial network of lawyers;
Johnny Depp is back on track with Ciro Guerra’s English-language directorial debut “Waiting for the Barbarians,” a novel-adapted period drama about the questioning of a Magistrate’s loyalty to the Empire;
Scarlett Johansson stars in “Marriage Story,” a comedy-drama film written and directed by Noah Baumbach about a stage director and his actor wife’s struggle through an overwhelming divorce;
Joaquin Phoeinx is the protagonist of the highly-anticipated “Joker,” the origin story of the iconic DC Comics villain;
Penelope Cruz is at the Lido with the thriller “Wasp Network,” story of five Cuban political prisoners caught by the US on charges of espionage and murder;
Jude Law is back in the holy shoes of Pope Lanny Belardo in Paolo Sorrentino’s “The New Pope,” follow-up series to 2016 “The Young Pope.”
________
2. The Exotic Fruits
The perhaps more niche, but undoubtedly precious talents from France, Belgium and Greece:
Matthias Schoenaerts (“Suite Française,” “A Bigger Splash”) stars in “The Laundromat” alongside Meryl Streep;
Juliette Binoche (“Chocolat,” “Cosmopolis”) opens the Festival with “La Vérité,” a drama about a stormy reunion between a daughter and her actress mother;
Louis Garrel (“The Dreamers,” “From the Land of the Moon”) lands in Venice with Roman Polanski’s “J’Accuse,” based on French Captain Alfred Dreyfus’ real story of unfair life imprisonment at Devil’s island;
Adèle Exarchopoulos (“Blue is the Warmest Color”) is back on the big screen with “Revenir,” the story of a man’s comeback to the farm where he was born, after five years of absence.
________
3. The Teen Idols
The stars of the moment, the favorites among young movie-goers, the beautiful and promising talents of our era:
Timothée Chalamet, the half-French half-American actor of the moment, comes for the first time at the Venice Film Festival with “The King,” film adaptation from Shakespeare’s Henriad about young prince Hal’s ascent to the throne of England;
Lily-Rose Depp, the daughter-of-illustrious-parents model and actress, stars in “The King” alongside her rumored boyfriend Chalamet;
Robert Pattinson, the ex-heartthrob vampire, this year is at the Lido with two movies: “Waiting for the Barbarians” and “The King”;
Kristen Stewart, the “Twilight” saga’s heroine next to Pattinson, lands in Venice with “Seberg” where she plays the iconic actress Jean Seberg, investigated by F.B.I. after being involved in the late 1960s LA civil rights movements.
________
4. The Compliments Of The House
The local stars, the Italian artists whose talent and work has been getting more and more international recognition this time round:
Luca Marinelli, among the most promising talents that we have in Italy today, active from 2006 with his breakout role being the leading character in “The Solitude of Prime Numbers,” has gained popularity on the international stage after starring in the FX Original U.S. Mini Series “Trust” directed by Danny Boyle. This year, he’s at the Venice Lido with the historical romance drama film “Martin Eden,” based on the 1909 novel of the same name by Jack London;
Paolo Sorrentino, Italian director and screenwriter, whose “The Great Beauty” won an Oscar for Best Foreign Film in 2014, presents at this year’s Venice Film Festival “The New Pope,” the second season of his internationally acclaimed TV series about the disrupted life of Pope Pius XIII (played by Jude Law).
________
#MentionsOfHonor
Alessandra Mastronardi: this year’s godmother of the festival, the Italian actress is best known worldwide for her roles in Woody Allen’s “To Rome with Love” and in the TV series “Master of None” and “Medici: Masters of Florence;”
Stacy Martin: member of the Jury for the Venice 76 competition, the French actress played her breakout role in 2013 Lars von Trier’s “Nymphomaniac;” she later gave further remarkable performances in movies like “Redoubtable” alongside Louis Garrel and “Vox Lux,” in competition at the 2018 edition of the Venice Film Festival.
