If you follow Italian Cinema Today on Twitter, you saw that I posted the opening film on June 20- "La La Land" by Damien Chazelle.. and on July 6 that the complete program will be announced this Thursday, July 28. If you look behind those couple posts, there is so much more that has been revealed. Here, I am only posting that which has been confirmed. I'll leave rumors and speculation to the others. I am also posting just about Italian filmmakers, with links to the complete international lists on the festival's website.
Last night, I posted the newly announced juries. I was thrilled to see Chiara Mastroianni and Valentina Lodovini among the members. Listed below are the Italian filmmakers named as jury members and their descriptions from labienale.org.
 |
| Valentina Lodovini |
-The Italian magistrate, writer, playwright and screenwriter Giancarlo De Cataldo,author of the best-selling novel Romanzo criminale (2002) which inspired the film by Michele Placido (2005) and the television series by Stefano Sollima (2008). He is a two-time winner of the David di Donatello for the screenplays of Romanzo criminale, and of Noi credevamo (2010) by Mario Martone (which also won a Nastro d'argento for the screenplay).
-Actress Chiara Mastroianni, a famous star of European auteur films, who acted alongside her mother Catherine Deneuve at a very young age in Ma maison préférée by André Téchiné (1993, nominated at the César awards for Most Promising Actress). In 2010 she won the Excellence Award at the Locarno Film Festival. In 2014 she participated in the Venice International Film Festival with two films in Competition, Trois Coeurs by Benoît Jacquot and La Rançon de la gloire by Xavier Beauvois.
Italian actress Valentina Lodovini will serve as a member in the Orrizonti Section. One of the most important actresses in Italian cinema in recent years, starting with her role as the star of La giusta distanza (2007) by Carlo Mazzacurati, she was awarded the David di Donatello in 2010 for Benvenuti al Sud by Luca Miniero. In 2011 she starred in Cosedell’altro mondo by Francesco Patierno, presented at the Venice Film Festival.
Italian actor/director Kim Rossi Stuart was named president of the “Luigi De Laurentiis” Venice Award for a Debut Film – Lion of the Future.
Click here for the complete list of international jury members.
 |
| Alberto Sordi and Serge Reggiani in "Tutti a casa" |
This brings me to a section that I am really enthused about- "Venezia Classici"- a section of newly-restored classic films. Since 2012, this section has been presenting the world premieres of the restorations of classic films conducted over the previous year by film libraries, cultural institutions and productions all over the world. Curated by Alberto Barbera in collaboration with Stefano Francia di Celle, "Venezia Classici" also features documentaries about cinema and its makers. Contemporary filmmaker Roberto Andò will chair the Jury, which will be composed of cinema students. What a great foundation of cinema for these students to take with them. The students along with Andò will award the "Venezia Classici Award" for the "Best Restored Film" and the "Best Documentary on Cinema".
 |
| Vittorio Gassman in Dino Risi's "Profumo di donna" |
1848
by Dino Risi (Italy, 1948, 11’, B/W)
restored by: Archivio Nazionale Cinema Impresa-CSC-Cineteca Nazionale and Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano
La battaglia di Algeri (The Battle of Algiers)
by Gillo Pontecorvo (Italy, Algeria, 1966, 121’, B/W)
restored by: Cineteca di Bologna and Istituto Luce – Cinecittà in collaboration with Surf Film Srl and Casbah Entertainment
Break up - L’uomo dei cinque palloni (The Man with the Balloons)
by Marco Ferreri (Italy, France, 1965, 85’,B/N)
restored by: Cineteca di Bologna and Museo Nazionale del Cinema in collaboration with Warner Bros
Dawn of the Dead – European Cut
by George A. Romero (USA, Italy, 1978, 116’, Color)
restored by: Koch Media in collaboration with Norton Trust and Antonello Cuomo
Processo alla città (The City Stands Trial)
by Luigi Zampa (Italy, 1952, 99’, B/W)
restored by: CSC-Cineteca Nazionale and Gaumont in collaboration with Astrea. Sentimenti di giustizia
Profumo di donna (Scent of a Woman)
by Dino Risi (Italy, 1974, 105’, Color)
restored by: CSC-Cineteca Nazionale and Istituto Luce-Cinecittà in collaboration with Dean Film
Tutti a casa (Everybody Go Home!)
by Luigi Comencini (Italy, France, 1960, 115’, B/W)
restored by: Filmauro and CSC-Cineteca Nazionale
 |
| A scene from Sorrentino's "The Young Pope" |
Festival director Alberto Barbera says, “It is a great pleasure, as well as a privilege, to present at the Venice Film Festival the world premiere of the first two episodes of Paolo Sorrentino’s much-awaited television series. He is a filmmaker who dares to take risks, who – fearlessly and with his customary creative and innovative spirit – tackles the language of television series, the new expressive frontier which many filmmakers, primarily foreign, have already tried their hand at. The result will not fail to kindle sincere emotion and, above all, invigorating and boundless surprise.” The episodes will be shown in an Out-of-Competition special event on September 3rd in the Sala Grande of thePalazzo del Cinema at the Lido di Venezia. Click here for more information.
Check back here or follow Italian Cinema Today on Twitter for more announcements and news that I will post as details become available.
