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Politically-charged dramas and documentaries from Ukraine to Iran, and from Mexico to Kenya will share the spotlight at the Venice film festival’s Venice Days sidebar, which announced its 2025 lineup today.

The diverse program ranges from the section’s opening night film, the autobiographical drama Memory Ukrainian artist and filmmaker Vladlena Sandu, a survivor of the war in Chechnya, who studies her traumatic memories in order to transcend and transform them via the art of cinema; to Spanish director Gabriel Azorín’s Last Night I Conquered the City of Thebes about two young men returning from the front who spend a day of confession and revelation in an ancient Roman thermal bath; to Memory of Princess Mumbi, from Kenyan filmmaker Damien Hauser that combines elements of sci-fi, mockumentary and animation to tell a dystopian fable set in an imaginary Africa in the year 2093 after an A.I.-precipitated disaster.

‘Memory...

Damien Hauser’s Memory Of Princess Mumbi is among 10 features in competition at Giornate degli Autori, the independent sidebar of Venice Film Festival.

The latest feature from Swiss-Kenyan director Hauser is a dystopian fable set in an imaginary Africa in 2093, in which a young filmmaker attempts to make a documentary about a global conflict from 20 years earlier.

Scroll down for the full list of features

Hauser produced the film with Shandra Apondi and former Red Sea Film Festival director of international programming Kaleem Aftab. It is Hauser’s fourth feature; his previous film After The Long Rains played at BFI London Film Festival last year.

I giganti Review — I giganti (2021) Film Review from the 74th Annual Locarno Film Festival, a movie directed by Bonifacio Angius, and starring Bonifacio Angius, Stefano Deffenu, Michele Manca, Riccardo Bombagi, and Stefano Manco. The new Italian film I giganti (The Giants) takes so many interesting risks. What is most unique about the film [...]

Continue reading: Film Review: I Giganti: A Group of Men’s Lives Spiral Out of Control and So Does the Film [Locarno 2021]...

I giganti Review — I giganti (2021) Film Review from the 74th Annual Locarno Film Festival, a movie directed by Bonifacio Angius, and starring Bonifacio Angius, Stefano Deffenu, Michele Manca, Riccardo Bombagi, and Stefano Manco. The new Italian film I giganti (The Giants) takes so many interesting risks. What is most unique about the film [...]

Continue reading: Film Review: I Giganti: A Group of Men’s Lives Spiral Out of Control and So Does the Film [Locarno 2021]...

Coccinelle Film Sales has taken international rights on Italian director Ciro De Caro’s female empowerment drama “Giulia” ahead of its upcoming world premiere in the Venice Film Festival’s independently run Venice Days section.

Pic stars emerging actor Rosa Palasciano (“Tales for Heart and Mind”) in the title role as a young woman who winds up on the street in Rome during a torrid summer seeking refuge and a place in the world.

“Giulia” is the third feature by De Caro, who is specialized in young adult dramas. His debut “Spaghetti Story” travelled quite widely on the festival circuit, including to the Moscow and Reykjavik fests, while his sophomore film “Late Winter Rain” launched from the Rome Film Festival’s Alice in the City section, dedicated to cinema for young audiences.

The director said that “Giulia,” besides the protagonist’s existential quest, describes characters who “live with levity, a tough condition amid people who,...

"You all strive to see things that aren't there." ScreenDaily has unveiled a promo trailer for an Italian film titled The Giants, the latest from filmmaker Bonifacio Angius. This is premiering at the 2021 Locarno Film Festival coming up later this summer, hence the first trailer now to build early buzz before the premiere. "The Giants is an Italian neo-western drama produced by Il Monello Film with Fondazione Sardegna film commission. The plot is described by Coccinelle as 'the reunion of a group of friends, in a remote house in a forgotten valley, where many memories, bullets and love stories come from the abyss.'" Not really sure what exactly we're in for, but sounds cool. Starring Stefano Deffenu, Stefano Manca, Riccardo Bombagi, Bonifacio Angius, and Noemi Medas. This looks intensely gritty and very, very dark. It's worth a look. Here's the festival promo trailer for Bonifacio Angius's The Giants, from...

Directed by Bonifacio Angius, the film will premiere in the international competition at Locarno.

Rome-based sales company Coccinelle Film Sales has acquired international sales rights to Bonifacio Angius’ The Giants ahead of the Locarno Film Festival (August 4-14), where the film will premiere in the international competition.

Screen can also exclusively reveal the first trailer, above.

The Giants is an Italian neo-western drama produced by Angius’ Il Monello Film with Fondazione Sardegna film commission. The plot is described by Coccinelle as “the reunion of a group of friends, in a remote house in a forgotten valley, where many memories, bullets...

Year after year a site par excellence for the most innovative premieres—in that respect an antithesis to the ensuing fall circuit—the Locarno Film Festival returns triumphant next month. Their 2021 lineup, per usual, mixes iconic names with complete unknowns and, admittedly, a head-scratcher or two. Abel Ferrara’s much-anticipated Zeros and Ones, sure. Gaspar Noé’s Vortex—makes sense. A new film from The Wild Boys director Bertrand Mandico? Great! But Shawn Levy and a Jennifer Hudson Aretha Franklin biopic?

However, new festival head Giona A. Nazzaro sees it as part of a steady influx, telling Variety “A festival can be quite highbrow and also entertaining at the same time. That is why for this year’s lineup we have selected several comedies and also some genre movies, as well as straightforward auteur films.” By that metric it’s more inclusive than almost any other major competition on the European circuit.

After Blue (Paradis sale)The lineup for the 2021 festival has been revealed, including new films by Bertrand Mandico, Axelle Ropert, Abel Ferrara and others, alongside retrospectives and tributes, and much more.Piazza GRANDEBeckett (Ferdinando Cito Filomarino)Free Guy (Shawn Levy)Heat (Michael Mann)Hinterland (Stefan Ruzowitzky)Ida Red (John Swab)Monte Verità (Stefan Jäger)National Lampoon's Animal House (John Landis)Respect (Liesl Tommy)Rose (Aurélie Saada)Sinkhole (Kim Ji-hoon)The Alleys (Bassel Ghandour)The Terminator (James Cameron)Vortex (Gaspar Noé)Yaya e Lennie — The Walking Liberty (Alessandro Rak)Tomorrow My Love (Gitanjali Rao)Lynx (Laurent Geslin)Zeros and OnesCONCORSO INTERNAZIONALEAfter Blue (Paradis sale) (Bertrand Mandico)Al Naher (The River) (Ghassan Salhab)Espíritu sagrado (The Sacred Spirit) (Chema García Ibarra)Gerda (Natalya Kudryashova)I giganti (The Giants) (Bonifacio Angius)Jiao ma teng hui (A New Old Play) (Jiongjiong Qiu)Juju StoriesLa Place d'une autre (Secret Name) (Aurélia Georges)Leynilögga (Cop Secret...

With Cannes right around the corner, two more prominent European film festivals announced their official lineups for 2021 this week. The 2021 Locarno Film Festival (the 74th edition of the event) is taking place August 4-14 and will feature the world premiere of Abel Ferrara’s “Zeroes and Ones,” plus the Melissa Leo-Frank Grillo starring thriller “Ida Red” from director John Swab. Perhaps the most prominent U.S. title in the Locarno lineup is “Respect,” the Jennifer Hudson-starring Aretha Franklin biopic that has already caught the eye of Oscar pundits here in the states. The film will screen out of competition, as will Ryan Reynolds’ long-delayed Disney-Fox tentpole “Free Guy.”

“A festival can be quite highbrow and also entertaining at the same time,” Nazzaro told Variety in a statement. “That is why for this year’s lineup we have selected several comedies and also some genre movies, as well as straightforward auteur films.

Abel Ferrara’s contemporary thriller ’Zeros And Ones’ stars Ethan Hawke.

Abel Ferrara’s contemporary thriller Zeros And Ones and Srdjan Dragojević’s dark comedy Heavens Above are among 17 films from 12 countries having their world premiere in the international competition at the 74th Locarno Film Festival (August 4-14) under the new artistic director Giona A. Nazzaro.

Scroll down for full line-up

In his first collaboration with Ferrara, Zeros And Ones sees Ethan Hawke plays an American soldier stationed in Rome who pursues an unknown enemy threatening the entire world after the Vatican gets blown up.

Ahead of shooting in Italy...

The Locarno Film Festival has unveiled a promising lineup combining edgy new works by established auteurs such as Abel Ferrara alongside plenty of potential discoveries by emerging helmers and global newcomers for its upcoming 74th edition.

It will be the first one under new Artistic Director Giona A. Nazzaro, the former Venice Critics’ Week chief who is steering the Swiss fest known as an international incubator and indie cinema temple on a more audience-friendly course.

“A festival can be quite highbrow and also entertaining at the same time” Nazzaro told Variety. “That is why for this year’s lineup we have selected several comedies and also some genre movies, as well as straightforward auteur films,” he added.

As usual the bulk of Locarno’s crowdpleasers will launch from the Swiss lakeside town’s 8,000-seat Piazza Grande square which is Europe’s largest outdoor venue and this year has been approved...

During the Locarno Film Festival I sat down with "Perfidia" writer/director Bonifacio Angius, star Stefano Deffenu, and Sardinia Film Commissioner Nevina Satta. "Perfidia" is the sole Italian film in competition at the Locarno Film Festival where it just had its world premiere.

"Perfidia" : Perfidia Angelo, 35, is unemployed, alone and without passion. He takes comfort in a bar, dreaming of meeting a girl with whom to start a family. On the death of his mother he rediscovers his relationship with his father, Peppino, who had forgotten him.

Locarno Film Festival’s Artistic director Carlo Chatrian describes "Perfidia" “turns the father-son relationship in a provincial city like Sassari not so much into a model of the absence of relationships, but a prism through which we can read a country that has stopped communicating and is contenting itself with survival.” The filmmakers refer to it as a simple and universal story shot in Sassari that could take place in any city of the province of Italy. Bonifacio Angius states, “Knowing the places of the film makes the story even more authentic.”

Nevina Satta describes the project as truly independent with a budget of approximately 300,000 euros, and partially funded by the Sardinian film commission, in-kind donations, free locations, and grants.

Kouguell: What inspired you to make this film?

Angius: It comes from what I experienced myself and the need of telling a story about this moment in history. It was also caused by my own personal fears. I thought about what would be the worst thing that could happen to me, which would be the destruction of my family. The protagonist, Angelo, is my worst nightmare.

I belong to my protagonist’s generation. it’s a very shared and common fear. My generation gets not only moral support from their families, but economic support. The fear of losing one’s family is not only the fear of getting lost; it’s the practical support, so you combine the deep pain of that loss with a total lack of certainty.

Kouguell: The father and son relationship is powerful, painful and believable.

Angius : I didn’t want to cheat; I didn’t want to use any cinematic trick or artifice. This was a painful process in the writing and realization of the film. When you are visualizing your character, this pain had to be kept as real and true as I could. For me authenticity was a necessity.

Kouguell: What is the significance of the film’s title?

Angius : It’s a title that fits perfectly with the story. The title doesn’t refer to the characters; it refers to the world they live in. It’s what’s behind and underneath a controlled situation; the negative emotion. In the beginning of the film, Angelo is very sad, lonely and has a lot of emptiness inside. He is very passive until the final action in the film when he explodes and makes that fateful decision. The Perfidia represented that for the character.

Angius and Stefano Deffenu

Angius and Deffenu were born in Sardinia and they studied at the film school in Florence where they became good friends. In addition to his work as an actor, Deffenu is also a documentary filmmaker and cinematographer, currently working on a film about an Indian tribe of children in Nepal. Angius and Deffenu previously worked together on other projects, including Grace, which Angius directed and the pair co-wrote.

Angius : Our partnership is so tight; we didn’t ‘work’ – when you work with the person you know so well you don’t have to explain things. You don’t have to ask, ‘I want character this way or that,’ with a few words you’re getting what you want. I knew Stefano would be Angelo. I shaped the character from him.

Kouguell: What’s next for "Perfidia" ?

Satta: We are working on distribution deals with both Italian and European distribution. The film is just starting the festival circuit and has just been selected for Montreal and Hamburg. The film was produced by Movie Factory. It was mostly an all Sardinian film below and above the line, which is very important for Angius. You have to give people the chance to work and that’s what their films do.

Award-winning screenwriter and filmmaker, Susan Kouguell presents international workshops and seminars on screenwriting and film. Author of Savvy Characters Sell Screenplays! and The Savvy Screenwriter, she is chairperson of Su-City Pictures East, LLC, a consulting company founded in 1990 where she works with over 1,000 writers, filmmakers, and executives worldwide. www.su-city-pictures.com, http://su-city-pictures.com/wpblog.

Above: Pedro Costa's Horse Money

The Locarno Film Festival has announced their lineup for the 67th edition, taking place this August between the 6th and 16th. It speaks for itself, but, um, wow...

"Every film festival, be it small or large, claims to offer, if not an account of the state of things, then an updated map of the art form and the world it seeks to represent. This cartography should show both the major routes and the byways, along with essential places to visit and those that are more unusual. The Festival del film Locarno is no exception to the rule, and I think that looking through the program you will be able to distinguish the route map for this edition." — Carlo Chatrian, Artistic Director

Above: Matías Piñeiro's The Princess of France

Concorso Internazionale (Official Competition)

A Blast (Syllas Tzoumerkas, Greece/Germany/Netherlands)

Alive (Jungbum Park, South Korea)

Horse Money (Pedro Costa,...

13 of the 17 films competing for the Golden Leopard are world premieres; Juliette Binoche to receive Excellence Award.

Full details of the line-up for the 67th Locarno Film Festival, which runs August 6-16, were unveiled at a press conference in the Swiss capital Berne today.

13 of the 17 films competing for the Golden Leopard in the festival’s International Competition section are world premiers including Syllas Tzoumerkas’s A Blast [pictured], Jungbum Park’s Alive (South Korea), Paul Vecchiali’s White Nights On The Pier (France) and Yury Bykov’s The Fool (Russia). International premieres include Alex Ross Perry’s hotly antipated Us comedy Listen Up Philip starring Jason Schwartzman who is expected to attend.

The Piazza Grande line-up includes the international premieres of Eran Riklis’ Dancing Arabs, Aaron Katz and Martha Stephens’ critically acclaimed Iceland set Land Ho! Which world premiered at Sundance, and Olivier Assayas’ Clouds Of Sils Maria, which played in competition in Cannes. World premieres...