|
The world's oldest film festival, regarded as a
showcase for Oscar contenders as awards season approaches, hopes
to welcome back Hollywood celebrities this year after a
scaled-down 2020 edition.
New Zealand filmmaker Campion, known for "The Piano", will
present her drama starring Benedict Cumberbatch as a sadistic
ranch owner who launches a campaign against a young widow,
interpreted by Kirsten Dunst, in 1920s Montana.
A Netflix production, "The Power of The Dog" had been invited to
screen out of competition at the Cannes festival but opted
instead for Venice, which unlike its French rival does not
demand a theatrical release for films vying for the top prize.
Spain's Almodovar reunites with one his favourite actresses,
Penelope Cruz, in "Parallel Mothers", while "Spencer", by
Chilean director Pablo Larrain, film centres on a weekend in the
early 1990s when Diana decided to separate from Prince Charles.
They are among 21 films in the main competition, which include
Maggie Gyllenhaal's directorial debut "The Lost Daughter", based
on an Elena Ferrante novel, and the "The Hand of God" by Paolo
Sorrentino - one of five Italian titles seeking to scoop up the
Golden Lion top award.
Ridley Scott's medieval epic "The Last Duel", starring Matt
Damon, Adam Driver and Ben Affleck, and Denis Villeneuve's hotly
anticipated science-fiction tale "Dune", with Timothée Chalamet
and Zendaya, will both premiere in Venice out-of-competition.
Festival director Alberto Barbera hailed the return to the Lido
waterfront of "of U.S. studios and of A-list stars who last year
were a little wanting".
He told a virtual news conference the quality of films this year
was higher than usual, and the line-up featured several films
lasting three hours or more, some disturbingly violent scenes
and many stories with strong women characters.
"It's as if the pandemic helped stimulate creativity all
around," he said.
With contagion rates on the rise again, anti-COVID restrictions
imposed last year will remain in place, including the capacity
of festival theatres which has been halved to 4,000 viewers.
(Reporting by Silvia Aloisi; Editing by Alison Williams)
[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content
|
|
