News

Roberto Cicutto, former president of the Venice Biennale, has been elected president of Eurimages, the co-production fund of the Council of Europe.

Cicutto will succeed Catherine Trautmann, who has chaired the Eurimages board since 2017 and whose term of office comes to an end on December 31.

Venice-born Cicutto has worked in the film industry for over 40 years. He was president of the Venice Biennale from 2020 to 2024, and before that was president and CEO of Istituto Luce – Cinecittà, which manages the Italian studios, from 2009 to 2020.

Earlier in his career, Cicutto founded production company Aura Film, whose film The Legend Of The Holy Drinker...

Alberto Barbera admits that he has made plenty of mistakes.

When Barbera, who hails from the Piedmontese textile town of Biella, took over for the first time as artistic director of The Venice Film Festival in 1999, the situation was dire: The Festival, which is controlled by the government-supported Biennale Foundation, was a mess. He remembers that the facilities on the Lido were lousy, attendance by top Hollywood stars and producers was underwhelming and as a business, Venice was a loss-making proposition. In the scorching heat of late August and early September in Venice, there wasn’t even any air conditioning at the Palazzo del Cinema.

Barbera has helped to turn all that around. He was twice named as artistic director by Paolo Baratta, the legendary president of the Biennale Foundation, who would over the years channel millions of dollars of new investments to the festival, completely refurbishing the Palazzo del Cinema and adding extension annexes.

The line-up for the 81st Venice International Film Festival (August 28-September 7) will be unveiled today at 11:00 Cest (10:00 BST) by festival president Pietrangelo Buttafuoco and artistic director Alberto Barbera.

The press conference will be live-streamed below, and this page will be updated with the films as they are announced.

It will be Buttafuoco’s first time at the annual press conference, after replacing Roberto Cicutto in October 2023.

The previously announced opening film is Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

Isabelle Huppert will preside over the jury, which also comprises James Gray, Andrew Haigh, Agnieszka Holland, Kleber Mendonça Filho, Abderrahmane Sissako,...

Writer nominated by Italian culture minister Gennaro Sangiuliano.

Right-wing journalist and writer Pietrangelo Buttafuoco has been nominated by Italian culture minister Gennaro Sangiuliano to take over as chairman of the Venice Biennale Foundation which runs the Venice Film Festival.

He will replace Roberto Cicutto when the latter’s term ends in March. Buttafuoco’s nomination requires parliamentary approval but is regarded as a formality.

Italian newswire Ansa described Buttafuoco as “one of Italy’s top public intellectuals and a practising Muslim” and described him as a far-right activist in his youth like Italian premier Giorgia Meloni who, like her, has...

The Venice Biennale Foundation, which oversees the Venice International Film Festival, has nominated right-wing writer Pietrangelo Buttafuoco to become its new President, according to multiple Italian media sources.

Buttafuoco is set to replace Roberto Cicutto after being appointed by Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano of Italy’s right-wing coalition government. He will take up the post when Cicutto’s run comes to an end in March 2024.

The appointment needs to be ratified by Italy’s parliament, with the Culture Commission from the chamber and senate announcing their opinions on November 14.

According to Italian news agency Ansa, which first reported the news, Buttafuoco practiced similar far-right politics as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni as a youth but now takes more traditionally conservative views and even writes for left-wing newspapers. He is considered a maverick thinker.

Rome Mayor and cinema association Anica President Francesco Rutelli told Ansa Buttafuoco is “never a banal intellectual...

Italy’s culture minister Gennaro Sangiuliano has designated Italian journalist and writer Pietrangelo Buttafuoco as the new president of the Venice Biennale, the foundation that oversees the Venice Film Festival.

Buttafuoco, an openly right-wing member of Italy’s cultural establishment known to be an eclectic thinker, is now set to replace former film producer Roberto Cicutto at the Biennale’s helm when Cicutto’s four-year mandate expires in March 2024. Buttafuoco’s appointment still needs to be ratified by the culture commissions of Italy’s chamber of deputies and senate, but this is considered a mere formality.

Besides the film festival, the Venice Biennale foundation oversees other renowned events in the spheres of visual arts, music, architecture, dance and theater, making it one of the world’s most prestigious cultural institutions.

Buttafuoco taking the Biennale reins is not expected to immediately impact management of the Venice Film Festival, since its artistic...

Updated with more details: The 80th Venice Film Festival officially kicked off Wednesday evening with the world premiere screening of Edoardo De Angelis’ Italian World War II submarine drama Comandante. Running in competition, the film took over the slot vacated by Luca Guadagnino’s tennis drama Challengers, which backed out of the spot amid the actors strike.

Before the Pierfrancesco Favino-starring movie unspooled to a warm welcome and a brief post-credit standing ovation, Italian actress Caterina Murino launched the festival’s opening ceremony featuring a retrospective covering the 80 years of the event. That included glimpses of previous Golden Lion and awards winners, with the audience erupting when the late William Friedkin appeared in the montage.

Friedkin, who died August 7, has his final work, the Showtime film The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, screening later this week out of competition.

Biennalle president Roberto Cicutto then came on the stage to introduce Charlotte Rampling,...

Venice Film Festival jury president Damien Chazelle showed up to the Palazzo del Casino Wednesday morning for the opening press conference wearing a Writers Guild on Strike T-shirt. So were his jurors Laura Poitras and Martin McDonagh. Fellow deliberators Jane Campion and Mia Hansen-Løve did not brandish their support through fashion, but the stance of solidarity with the ongoing double union strike from across the entire jury was felt.

Chazelle was joined on the dais by Venice Film Festival artistic director Alberto Barbera, La Biennale president Roberto Cicutto, Orizzonti president Jonas Carpignano, and Luigi De Laurentiis president Alice Diop. The Oscar-winning filmmaker, whose “La La Land” and “First Man” have both opened the Biennale in years past, used the opening remarks to send a strong message about the strikes and how art should ultimately trump content — something, he argued, Hollywood seems to be forgetting.

“Today is the 121st day that...

Venice Film Festival international jury president Damien Chazelle showed support for the ongoing strikes in Hollywood at the event’s first press conference, sporting a “Writers Guild on Strike” shirt and pin.

During the jury press conference — which also included artistic director Alberto Barbera, La Biennale president Roberto Cicutto, Orizzonti president Jonas Carpignano and Luigi De Laurentiis president Alice Diop — Chazelle made a powerful statement about the current state of Hollywood, touting “art over content.”

“Today is the 121st day that the writers in Hollywood have been on strike; the 48th day that the actors have been on strike,” Chazelle began. “I think there’s a basic idea that each work of art has value onto itself, that it’s not just a piece of content — to use Hollywood’s favorite word right now — to be put into a pipeline. And that idea is very basic, I think, to art...

Chazelle gave an impassioned response in support of the strikes.

Venice Competition jury head Damien Chazelle and his fellow competition jurors offered their support to the striking actors and writers in the US, at the opening press conference for the 80th Venice Film Festival.

Chazelle and competition jurors directors Martin McDonagh and Laura Poitras wore T-shirts with the words ‘Writers Guild on strike’, while Chazelle gave an impassioned response to the opening question about the strike.

“There’s a basic idea that each work of art has value unto itself. It’s not just a piece of content to be put into a pipeline,...

The Venice Film Festival will host a Ukrainian Day on Sept. 6 with a series of panels and meetings to support war-torn Ukraine and its film industry.

With this event, which follows an analogous initiative on the Lido last year, the fest’s parent organization, the Venice Biennale foundation, “reaffirms its solidarity with the Ukrainian people and the tragedy they are experiencing.” It segues from similar initiatives to support Ukraine organized by the Biennale during its visual arts and architecture sections.

The Venice fest’s Ukrainian Day will be held at the Venice Production Bridge’s Spazio Incontri at the Hotel Excelsior. It will include an introduction by the president of the Biennale, Roberto Cicutto, and artistic director Alberto Barbera.

The first panel will be titled “The Ukrainian Film Industry During the War” and feature a presentation of the state of affairs by Marina Kuderchuk, head of Ukraine’s state agency for cinema.

Potential star power on the red carpet amid the strikes; a heavy Netflix presence; and another poor showing for women directors.

The line-up for the 80th Venice film festival (August 30-September 9) was unveiled today by artistic director Alberto Barbera and Venice Biennale president Roberto Cicutto.

Screen rounds up the major talking points from this year’s selection, including potential star power on the red carpet amid the strikes and another robust Netflix presence.

Will any A-list actors or directors actually be on the Lido?

With several major US titles in the selection, the question now is which US talent will...

Two movies whose directors are likely to draw protests, Woody Allen’s French-language “Coup de Chance” and Roman Polanski’s “The Palace,” will make their world premieres at the 2023 Venice International Film Festival, Venice artistic director Alberto Barbera and La Biennale di Venezia president Roberto Cicutto announced at a Tuesday morning press conference.

Both films will screen out of competition, though they’ll likely draw an inordinate amount of attention at a festival that has assembled a robust lineup of major filmmakers even as it struggles with the effects of the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes.

Films booked for the Venice main competition include Bradley Cooper’s Leonard Bernstein biopic “Maestro”; Yorgos Lanthimos’ sci-fi drama “Poor Things”; Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla Presley film “Priscilla”; Michael Mann’s auto-racing film “Ferrari”; Ava DuVernay’s “Origin,” with Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Niecy Nash-Betts and Vera Farmiga; and David Fincher’s “The Killer,” with Michael Fassbender.

Includes films from David Fincher, Sofia Coppola, Ava DuVernay, Yorgos Lanthimos, Bradley Cooper and Ryusuke Hamaguchi.

Venice Film Festival announced the programme for its 80th edition, including a 23-strong Competition with new films from David Fincher, Sofia Coppola, Ava DuVernay, Yorgos Lanthimos, Bradley Cooper and Ryusuke Hamaguchi.

Scroll down for full line-up

The selection was announced by festival president Roberto Cicutto and artistic director Alberto Barbera. The SAG-AFTRA strike in the US has had a “quite modest” impact on the selection according to Barbera, who was forced to pull Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers as the opening film over the weekend due to the strike.

This year’s selection will be announced at 11:00 Cest (10:00 BST) by Roberto Cicutto and Alberto Barbera.

The line-up for the 80th Venice International Film Festival (August 30-September 9) will be revealed this morning at 11:00 Cest (10:00 BST) by festival president Roberto Cicutto and artistic director Alberto Barbera

The press conference will be live-streamed below, and this page will be updated with the films as they are announced.

Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers was originally set to open the festival but was pulled by MGM amid the actors’ strike. It was replaced by Edoardo De Angelis’ Comandante.

The closing film...

The Venice Film Festival will announce the lineup for its 80th edition Tuesday at 11 a.m. European time (2 a.m. Pt/5 a.m. Et). Venice Artistic Director Alberto Barbera will be joined by Biennale President Roberto Cicutto to reveal this year’s titles.

The stream can be found on the official Biennale website as well as the festival’s official Facebook page, Twitter feed, and YouTube channel.

You can also watch the stream live here.

Deadline will also be live reporting the list of Official Selection films as the names come in. Check that out here. With simultaneous WGA-sag-aftra strikes, Venice will likely look a little different this year, with stars observing their pickets staying away from the Lido.

The fest is usually a glamorous springboard for U.S. awards hopefuls and big streamer and studio fare, but its plans for American buzz titles have been thrown into disarray by the strike,...

This year’s festival runs from August 30 to September 9.

The Venice Film Festival has confirmed that it will announce the official selection for its 80th edition at 10am BST (11am Cest) on Tuesday, July 25.

Venice artistic director Alberto Barbera and Biennale president Roberto Cicutto will preside over the official selection press conference.

This year’s edition of the festival runs from August 30 through to September 9.

Damien Chazelle is presiding over the main competition jury of the world’s oldest film festival for the first time after opening Venice twice, most recently in 2018 with First Man and in 2016 with La La Land.

The 67th International Festival of Contemporary Music, titled Micro-Music, will run from 16 to 29 October 2023 in Venice.

“A particularly important role is ascribed to the activities of the Biennale College Danza Musica and Teatro, which have produced remarkable results in all three performing arts, not only by discovering young talents, but also by facilitating their introduction into the circuit of international companies, and even the most important permanent establishments.”, as stated by Roberto Cicutto, President of La Biennale di Venezia.

He further pointed out in his welcome letter, “Only a multidisciplinary institution such as La Biennale di Venezia, international by constitution with the capacity to interpret the many expressions of the contemporary of which its history is comprised, can fulfil this task by relying on new technologies and means of expression to invent new languages and groundbreaking collaborations.”

The post Biennale Musica 2023 – Micro-Music appeared first on Martin Cid Magazine.

Eight months after Italy took a sharp turn to the right, the government headed by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni – whose Brothers of Italy party has neo-fascist roots – is wreaking havoc at state broadcaster Rai, prompting the abrupt exit of several executives and TV personalities and causing alarm within the country’s film and TV sectors.

At Rai, where politics have always held sway, managing director Carlo Fuortes resigned earlier this month saying he was unwilling to “agree to changes” in the broadcaster’s content and programming “that I do not consider to be in Rai’s best interests,” he underlined.

Fuortes has now been replaced by Roberto Sergio, a veteran Rai executive who is considered basically bi-partisan. The pubcaster’s new general director, instead, is former Rai board member Giampaolo Rossi, who is backed by Meloni’s Brothers of Italy and is known for his controversial tweets and support of Vladimir Putin,...

Venice Film Festival artistic director Alberto Barbera was celebrated last night in New York with the Gotham Awards Impact Salute in recognition for the unwavering support provided by the Lido to indie U.S. cinema.

One of the longest-serving artistic directors of Venice, Barbera has helped turn the festival into a major springboard for awards hopefuls. The list of pics from the fall fest that reached the awards circle in recent years include “Gravity,” “Birdman,” “Spotlight,” “La La Land,” “The Shape of Water,” “Roma,” “Joker,” “Nomadland,” and “The Power of the Dog.”

Bernera received the award during the Gotham’s ceremony from Julianne Moore, who presided over this year’s Venice jury, and from Todd Haynes, who spoke words of praise.

“I thank you from the bottom of my heart for this prestigious recognition of our work. Supporting independent cinema is not a choice: it is a duty simply because...

Roberto Cicutto will attend a workshop on Friday ahead of Saturday’s march.

Venice Biennale president Roberto Cicutto will meet with climate activists on Friday (September 9), ahead of a protest march the following day before the film festival’s closing ceremony.

Cicutto, who presides over the Biennale organisation that runs the Venice Film Festival, reached out to activist group Venice Climate Camp, and will attend a workshop on Friday about art and the climate crisis. The event will be held at the campsite area, which is a 30-minute walk up the Lido from the film festival site.

A festival representative...

In a new statement shared with the Venice Film Festival, imprisoned Iranian filmmakers Jafar Panahi and Mohammad Rosoulof have said the “hope of creating again” is a “reason for existence.”

Venice showed solidarity with persecuted filmmakers in Iran and Turkey as part of a session co-organized with the International Coalition for Filmmakers at Risk (Icfr) that highlighted the plight of creatives in these countries, and the remaining work — and funds — required to raise awareness of their immense struggle, and fight for civil liberties.

Iran, in particular, is seeing a major crackdown on the filmmaking community. In early July, Mohammad Rasoulof, winner of the 2020 Berlin Golden Bear for “There Is No Evil,” and fellow filmmaker Mostafa Al-Ahmad were arrested for posting a statement on social media in the wake of a violent government crackdown. Just days later, dissident Iranian auteur Jafar Panahi, known globally for prizewinning works such as “Offside” and “Taxi,...

Venice Competition jury president Julianne Moore was speaking at today’s press conference.

Curation is an essential function of film festivals, according to Venice Competition jury president Julianne Moore.

“Curation matters so much,” said Moore, speaking at the opening press conference for the 2022 festival. “Venice is people gathering this extraordinary work for us all to discover.”

The US actress described her first experience of curation, through her local cinema as a 10-year-old in Juneau, Alaska, where she saw John Cassavetes’ 1971 film Minnie And Moskowitz.

Moore said her reaction was, “What is this? What is this world out there? How do I fit in?...

Bill Kramer discussed the Oscars’ international expansion and the importance of Venice.

The theatrical requirement for films to qualify for the Oscars “will not go away”, according to new Academy CEO Bill Kramer.

Speaking on a panel about ‘The values of cinema in global society’, Kramer said, “The theatrical eligibility requirement will not go away, I believe – the theatrical experience is very important to us.”

However, Kramer was equally effusive about streaming, saying that “Netflix is making incredible movies” and that the Academy has “great respect for Ted Sarandos, Reed Hastings [co-chief executives] and Scott [Stuber, head of global film, all at Netflix].”

“Theatrical and streaming will continue to coexist – that’s a good thing,...

Festivals

On Aug. 24, Ukraine independence day, the Venice Film Festival has revealed that it will host a Ukrainian Day on Sept. 8, as part of the festival’s Venice Production Bridge initiative. The day will kick off with a panel discussion introduced by the president of the Biennale, Roberto Cicutto, and the artistic director of the 79th festival, Alberto Barbera.

Panelists include the Ambassador of Ukraine to Italy, Yaroslav Melnyk; the head of the National Cinema Institution of Ukraine, Marina Kuderchuk; the director of the film “Luxembourg, Luxembourg” (which will screen in competition in the festival’s Horizons strand), Antonio Lukich; the director of the film “Freedom on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom” (screening out of competition), Evgeny Afineevsky; the exhibiting artist in the Ukrainian Pavilion at the 59th Biennale Arte, Pavlo Makov; the curator of the Ukrainian Pavilion at the 59th Biennale Arte, Boris Filonenko; the representative of Ukraine’s...

It will take place on September 8.

The 79th edition of the Venice Film Festival (August 31-September 10) is to host a series of initiatives in support of Ukraine and its artists on September 8, under the banner of ‘Ukrainian Day’.

It will demonstrate the festival’s solidarity with Ukraine and its support of Ukrainian artists, with particular attention to be paid to the condition of the film industry.

The event will be held at the Venice Production Bridge’s Spazio Incontri at the Hotel Excelsior. It will include an introduction by the president of the Biennale, Roberto Cicutto and artistic director Alberto Barbera.

Update: The Venice Film Festival has revealed a robust lineup for the 79th edition which runs from August 31-September 10 on the Lido. Scroll down for the full list of Competition titles which include new works from such directors as Darren Aronofsky, Alejandro G Iñárritu, Todd Field, Andrew Dominik, Luca Guadagnino, Alice Diop, Joanna Hogg, Martin McDonagh, Jafar Panahi and Florian Zeller.

In big-ticket Out of Competition berths are Olivia Wilde’s Don’t Worry Darling from Warner Bros and starring Florence Pugh and Harry Styles as well as a new documentary from Oliver Stone and TV series The Kingdom Exodus and Copenhagen Cowboy, respectively from Danish auteurs Lars von Trier and Nicolas Winding Refn.

Previous: The Venice Film Festival will unveil its lineup for the 79th edition this morning at 11 a.m. local time (2 a.m. Pt/5 a.m. Et). The press conference is being held at the Library of the...

Includes films by Alejandro G. Inarritu, Joanna Hogg, Olivia Wilde, Darren Aronofsky, Andrew Dominik, Luca Guadagnino and Florian Zeller.

The line-up of the 79th Venice Film Festival (August 31-September 10) has been announced by festival president Roberto Cicutto and artistic director Alberto Barbera.

Scroll down for full line-up

The heavyweight competition line-up includes films by Alejandro G. Inarritu, Joanna Hogg, Susanna Nicchiarelli, Darren Aronofsky, Andrew Dominik, Luca Guadagnino, Martin McDonagh and Florian Zeller. As with last year, five female directors were selected in the main competition. Olivia Wilde’s Don’t Worry Darling is playing out of competition.

As previously announced, Noah Baumbach...

The line-up will be unveiled this morning at around 11:00 Cest (10:00 BST).

The line-up for the 79th Venice International Film Festival (August 31-September 10) will be unveiled this morning at around 11:00 Cest (10:00 BST) by festival president Roberto Cicutto and artistic director Alberto Barbera.

Scroll down for line-up

The press conference will be live-streamed below, and this page will be updated with the films as they are announced.

As previously announced, Noah Baumbach’s White Noise will open the festival in competition.

Julianne Moore will preside over the competition jury that also includes Audrey Diwan, Leonardo Di Costanzo, Mariano Cohn,...

New head eager to grow Academy’s global profile

New Academy CEO Bill Kramer and senior leadership will attend Venice International Film Festival and participate in events, marking the first time the body has officially attended the festival.

Screen understands Kramer, who started in his role last week, is eager to engage in international activities and raise the Academy’s global profile. To this end he will be in Italy for the opening night gala and meet members, industry and press.

The executive, who most recently spearheaded the Academy Museum launch and has worked in arts fundraising for much of his career,...

New Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences CEO Bill Kramer will make his international debut at the 79th edition of the Venice Film Festival, running from August 31 to September 10.

The festival and Italy’s historic Cinecittà studios have extended a joint first-ever official invite to AMPAS under which Kramer will speak at a special event run in partnership with sponsor Mastercard.

“The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is an international organization that is deeply committed to celebrating global cinema,” said Kramer. “We are thrilled to be joining our film family in Italy to broaden and strengthen our goal to engage our members around the world.”

Kramer’s trip comes amid ongoing efforts by the Academy to diversify and internationalize its membership in recent years.

Roberto Cicutto, president of the festival’s Venice Biennale parent organisation, and festival director Alberto Barbera said AMPAS’s attendance was an important...

Newly named Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences CEO Bill Kramer is set to attend the upcoming Venice Film Festival, along with other Academy senior leaders, in what is being touted as the first time an official AMPAS delegation will make the trek to the Lido.

Kramer will attend the fest’s opening night on Aug. 30 and subsequently meet with international AMPAS members, industry professionals and press. The AMPAS delegation will also participate in a panel organized by Rome’s Cinecittà on the Lido and host an exclusive event in partnership with Mastercard.

The Academy’s presence in Venice reflects the fest’s growing power as an awards launching pad and also the increasing number of non-American AMPAS voters. Seven titles that premiered during Venice’s past nine editions went on to earn Oscars for their directors.

“The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is an international organization...

Exclusive: The Gotham Film & Media Institute has announced that the Venice Film Festival will receive the Gotham Impact Salute during its 2022 Gotham Awards Ceremony, taking place live and in person in New York City on November 28.

The Gotham Awards provide acknowledgement to groundbreaking independent films and television series, as the first major awards show of the fall season. The full list of nominations and honorees for this year’s edition will be announced at a later date.

“It is a privilege to announce that this year’s Impact Salute will honor The Venice International Film Festival, the oldest and one of the most influential film festivals in the world which is organized by La Biennale di Venezia,” said The Gotham Film & Media Institute’s Executive Director, Jeffrey Sharp. “In addition to premiering some of the greatest films each year, Venice has had a major impact upon the U.S.

The Venice Film Festival will honor U.S. director and screenwriter Paul Schrader, a key figure of New Hollywood cinema, with its 2022 Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement.

Schrader wrote Martin Scorsese’s “Taxi Driver” and “The Last Temptation of Christ” and co-wrote “Raging Bull.” He has directed dozens of films, including “American Gigolo,” “Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters,” “The Comfort of Strangers” and “First Reformed.” The director was in Venice last year with “The Card Counter,” starring Oscar Isaac and Tiffany Haddish, which has been a critical and box office success.

In accepting the honor Schrader stated: “I am deeply honored. Venice is the Lion of my heart.”

Venice artistic director Alberto Barbera in a statement praised Schrader for having “revolutionized the imagination, aesthetics, and language of American film,” starting in the late 1960s.

“It is not an exaggeration to affirm that he is one of the most important American filmmakers of his generation,...

Marina Kuderchuk has written to festival presidents Pierre Lescure and Roberto Cicutto,

Marina Kuderchuk, the Kyiv-based head of the Ukrainian State Film Agency, has written to Pierre Lescure and Roberto Cicutto, the presidents of Cannes and Venice Film Festivals respectively, to call for a total ban on “all content created in Russia or co-productions with Russia” in their competition and non-competitive programmes.

In letters to both, Kuderchuk has responded to the festivals’ statements issued at the beginning of March that they would not be closing their doors to those who had defended free expression in Russia and protested against the invasion of Ukraine.

Almost two weeks into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Europe’s film industry continues to parse the complexities of a boycott on Russian cinema in order to express solidarity with the Ukrainian film community.

While some film festivals, such as Stockholm and Glasgow, haven’t hesitated in boycotting Russian state-funded films outright, others like Cannes and Venice are taking a more nuanced approach, banning official delegations, but not necessarily Russian films and directors.

The war’s more immediate effect, however, is that Ukrainian cinema is set to gain an increased visibility in the festival arena and beyond.

On Monday evening, Rome’s Cinema Troisi hosted a free screening in collaboration with the Venice Film Festival of Ukrainian director Valentyn Vasynovych’s “Reflection” (pictured), set during the war in Donbass, in eastern Ukraine, in 2014.

The film, which premiered in competition on the Lido last September, “asks, with brutal austerity, what happens...

Festival

The Italian Cultural Institute in London, La Biennale di Venezia and Curzon have teamed for ‘From Venice to London,’ a season where seven films from Venezia 78 will be shown at Curzon cinemas across London from Nov. 18-22.

“The Lost Daughter,” directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal will open the season and “The Hand of God,” directed by Paolo Sorrentino, will close it. The other selections include “Qui rido io,” directed by Mario Martone; “La santa piccola, directed by Silvia Brunelli, “La ragazza ha volato, directed by Wilma Labate,” “Il buco,” directed by Michelangelo Frammartino; and “Ariaferma,” directed by Leonardo Di Costanzo.

President of the Venice Biennale Roberto Cicutto said: “This year the selection has been praised for its exceptional artistic quality. We are sure the London audience will appreciate its high calibre.”

Katia Pizzi, director of the Italian Cultural Institute in London, added: “It’s my special pleasure to welcome to...

The Venice Film Festival, the Italian Cultural Institute in London, and exhibitor Curzon are tying up on London screening series From Venice To London (18 – 22 November).

Seven films from Venezia 78 have been chosen to be shown in London with appearances by filmmakers and cast.

The Lost Daughter, directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal, will be the opening night film on the 18 November and The Hand of God, directed by Paolo Sorrentino, will be closing the series on 22 November.

The seven films that have been handpicked are the following:

The Lost Daughter – Directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal

The Hand of God – Directed by Paolo Sorrentino

Qui Rido Io – Directed by Mario Martone

La Santa Piccola – Directed by Silvia Brunelli

La Ragazza Ha Volato – Directed by Wilma Labate

Il Buco – Directed by Michelangelo Frammartino

Ariaferma – Directed by Leonardo Di Costanzo

President of The Venice Biennale Roberto Cicutto said: “We are delighted to partner with the Italian...

“Aiming for 50:50 by 2020” is the outdated slogan from a Council of Europe recommendation on gender equality in the audiovisual sector, as advertised on a pamphlet available at the third “Annual Seminar on Gender Equality and Inclusivity in the Film Industry” at the Venice Film Festival.

The event took place earlier this week at the Venice Production Bridge film market, but a raft of statistics, shown at the afternoon session, proved that this goal has not been reached.

“20:20 by 2050,” quipped one panelist during the event, which was presented mostly in Italian, with the exception of a moving speech in English by the first female Afghanistan film topper, Sahraa Karimi, who recently fled the country.

Karimi’s candid tale of her recent ordeal, balanced out the data-heavy session, which included a slew of recent studies that show how far there is to go.

“I’m not a victim. I’m a fighter.

The ongoing Venice Film Festival has reached the midpoint with more than two-thirds of its pre-pandemic attendance numbers, and not a single attendee testing positive for Covid-19.

During a lunch with international press on Tuesday Roberto Cicutto, who is the president of the Biennale that oversees the festival, also announced plans for a revamp of the Lido’s Casinò venue which next year will be getting a new movie theater, a restaurant, a new room for press conferences, and a makeover of the existing Sala Perla theater.

The Biennale was just included by the Italian government among the country’s key “cultural magnets” and as such will benefit from a €170 million ($205 million) windfall from the E.U.’s coronavirus recovery fund, destined for infrastructural improvements.

This year, with Covid-19 protocols in place, Venice has half its seating capacity due to mandatory socially distanced seating, in compliance with Italian health norms.

Second pandemic era edition opens on Wednesday with Pedro Almodóvar’s Parallel Mothers.

The second physical Venice Film Festival of the pandemic era opens today with the world premiere of Pedro Almodovar’s Parallel Mothers tonight.

There is the sense among festival attendees that life is beginning to retun to normal even if the global health crisis is still ongoing and the industry will have to learn to live with the impact of Covid-19.

“It’s a bigger edition than last year, in terms of films and the delegations accompanying them,” said Roberto Cicutto, president of the Venice Biennale.

Key...

On Tuesday night, the eve of the 78th annual Venice Film Festival, Variety hosted a rooftop party at the Hotel Danieli honoring fest topper Alberto Barbera and the Biennale, its parent organization, with its International Achievement in Film Award.

Variety international editor Manori Ravindran presented the prize to Barbera and Roberto Cicutto, the president of the Biennale.

The event’s theme was “Stairway to Parasite,” a tribute to director Bong Joon Ho, this year’s Venice Jury President, who posed for paparazzi and mingled with fellow jurors Virginie Efire, Cynthia Erivo and with guests including Italian actress Alba Rohrwacher and supermodel Madisin Rian. The DJ mixed lounge music with vintage Italian hits such as popstar Gianni Morandi’s 1960s love song “In ginocchio da te” which features in a key “Parasite” scene.

Everything, from the exotic cocktails to the food –– which included gold-leaf topped fish concoctions, steamed mini-pizzas, spicy green noodles,...

Afghan filmmaker Sahraa Karimi, who was at the Venice Film Festival in 2019 with female-centric drama “Hava, Maryam, Ayesha,” will soon be traveling back to the fest to raise awareness about the plight of filmmakers in her country after the Taliban’s reclamation of power.

Karimi is also head of state-run company Afghan Film –– the first woman to head the org –– and managed to flee her country shortly after Kabul fell into the Taliban’s grip. In an open letter carried by international media earlier this month, she sounded the alarm about the return of Taliban rule and the potential death knell for the country’s cinema.

In a WhatsApp message, Karimi on Saturday confirmed to Variety that she will be in Venice to continue her campaign for the protection of Afghan filmmakers and for women in general.

There was no immediate comment from the Venice Film Festival, but it’s...

Vaccinated Brit guests at the Venice Film Festival (September 1 – 11) will no longer need to quarantine or only stay for five days, a festival spokesperson has confirmed to us.

The festival told us today: “A journalist coming from UK can stay in Italy longer than 5 days without isolating, providing they come for working reasons (that can be proved with the accreditation letter and accreditation confirmation and a commissioning letter from your editor). They must be resident in the UK.”

The festival confirmed to us that the dispensation also extends to all UK resident industry guests working at the event.

The festival told us that it came to the understanding after poring over “pages and pages” of detail about the rules and having the dispensation confirmed by local health authorities.

The festival told us last week that it wouldn’t be getting any quarantine dispensation for Brit arrivals but the event has...

The Venice Film Festival (September 1 – 11) is not expected to offer a quarantine dispensation for vaccinated UK guests, according to festival sources.

The Cannes Film Festival was able to get a special dispensation earlier this summer which waived the quarantine for vaccinated UK attendees.

Vaccinated UK guests heading to the Lido will need to either quarantine for five days on arrival or stay only five days in total at the festival, per a national rule that allows short business trips from certain countries without the need to quarantine.

The five-day allowance means that UK-based talent supporting one movie should be able to get to the festival without too much problem.

However, the rule poses a bigger headache for those Brits attending for more than one film. Multiple Brit journalists we have spoken to are planning to arrive five days early and will quarantine on the Lido. One festival head based in...

Italian health authorities have announced that the country will recognize Covid-19 certificates issued by five countries outside the European Union, including the U.S. and U.K., in what amounts to good news for international film delegations set to attend the upcoming Venice Film Festival.

However the ordinance, issued late last week by Italy’s Ministry of Health, does not lift a requirement that travelers from the U.K. must isolate for five days upon arrival in Italy.

Italy’s so-called “mini quarantine” doesn’t apply to British film delegations, which are exempt from isolating since they are entering Italy for “work reasons,” as long as they stay no longer than five days. But this requirement, as things stand, remains a potential impediment for journalists from Britain planning to cover the upcoming Sept. 1-11 event.

“We are monitoring the situation closely,” said a spokesperson for the Venice fest, which was...

Return of the studios, UK and Italian presence, a new section… and what about Covid?

Venice Film Festival director Alberto Barbera and Venice Biennale president Roberto Cicutto today unveiled the line-up of the 78th edition (September 1-11).

The talking points to emerge include fewer female directors than last year, what the Covid-19 safety measues will be, the return of the studios and Netflix, and tentative awards season chatter.

Hotly-tipped 2020 titles find a festival home

Like Cannes, Venice will showcase a raft of films that have been waiting in the wings since early 2020 due to the pandemic. Notably, French director Stephane Brizé’s Another World,...

Venice Film Festival organizers are closely monitoring the possible impact of the spread of the Delta variant, but sounded an upbeat note on Monday with artistic director Alberto Barbera saying he was confident “the situation will be much less complicated than Cannes.”

Venice is organizing free Covid tests on site in a number of different locations, but daily testing will likely not be mandatory. Biennale president Roberto Cicutto said proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test will appear automatically on festival attendees’ passes without it being necessary to provide this proof separately.

Also in play this year is the “Green Pass,” which is Europe’s proof of vaccination. Cicutto underlined that, unlike what happened in Cannes, there are moves underway by the Italian government to recognize similar proof of vaccination certifications from other countries.

“There is a political will to have the festival take place in the best possible way,...

Venice Film Festival will stick with last year’s coronavirus protocols, director Alberto Barbera confirmed during this morning’s lineup announcement.

The 2020 edition of the fest became the first major event of its type to stage a significant physical edition during the pandemic, and was widely celebrated for successfully implementing protocols including testing, temperature scanning, enhanced cleaning and distancing.

In theaters, capacities were restricted to 50%, which will again be the case this year. Italian cinemas are operating with 50% capacity limits anyway. The government has also announced that from August 6 cinema-goers will need to present a ‘Green Pass’, which displays vaccination status (one dose is accepted) or a negative test taken in the last 48 hours.

Travel rules for international delegates are at present largely straightforward, unless you are traveling from the UK or a handful of Asian nations.

As things stand, UK delegates will have to quarantine for five days regardless of vaccination status,...

This year’s line-up includes five female directors in competition.

The line-up of the 78th Venice Film Festival (September 1-11) has been announced by festival president Roberto Cicutto and artistic director Alberto Barbera.

Scroll down for the full line-up

This year’s selection saw the festival take a backward step for gender balance, with five female directors selected in the main competition, down from last year’s eight. 26% of films in the overall line-up are directed by women, down from 28% in 2020.

The high-profile titles picked for competition this year include Pablo Larrain’s Spencer; Paolo Sorrentino’s The Hand Of God...