The Venice Film Festival is set to open on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila) with a star-studded lineup of global premieres, heavyweight directors, and political dramas alongside its trademark Hollywood glamour.
The Venice Film Festival kicks off, rolling out the red carpet for Julia Roberts and George Clooney in a flurry of worldwide premieres at the glitzy celebration on the sandy Lido.
A cavalcade of A-listers—from Jude Law to Emma Stone—will arrive by water taxi for the festival opening, drawing hundreds of fans hoping to glimpse the stars. Among acclaimed directors at the festival’s 82nd edition are Werner Herzog, Jim Jarmusch, Kathryn Bigelow, Gus Van Sant, and Park Chan-wook, who returns to the festival after 20 years.
Venice, a highlight of the international film circuit, will serve up big budget films—such as Benny Safdie’s The Smashing Machine starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as an aging wrestler—and smaller independent works.
Despite the glamorous backdrop, debate has already begun over the Gaza war, with a protest planned Saturday on the Lido.
A collective of Italian film professionals, Venice4Palestine, called Sunday for the festival to take a “clear stance” and support artist actions against Israel’s tactics in the war set off by the 2023 Hamas attacks.
The group called for the festival to disinvite actors Gerard Butler and Gal Gadot—appearing in Julian Schnabel’s In the Hand of Dante—who it said “ideologically and materially” support Israeli’s actions.
In response, the festival said it had always been a place “of open debate” and cited the inclusion this year of Tunisian Kaouther Ben Hania’s latest film, The Voice of Hind Rajab, set in Gaza.
Hollywood megastar Roberts will make her Venice debut Friday in Luca Guadagnino’s After the Hunt, about a sexual assault case at a prestigious American university. The film is playing out of competition.
After delighting Venice fans from the red carpet last year, Clooney returns to star in the Netflix-produced Jay Kelly from Noah Baumbach, playing a beloved actor facing an identity crisis. Adam Sandler plays his manager.
Several winners at Venice, such as Nomadland and Joker, have subsequently gone on to Oscar glory, making the Italian festival a key launchpad for cinema success. AFP
