The 81st edition of the Venice Film Festival (Mostra Internazionale d’Arte Cinematografica di Venezia) got underway this week, unofficially signaling the end of summer and the first murmurings of il rientro.
The festival kicked off last night with the premiere of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the long-awaited sequel to director Tim Burton’s campy cult classic, bringing stars like Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenna Ortega and Monica Bellucci (who’s also Burton’s new romantic partner) to town. Additional A-listers from Jude Law to Angelina Jolie are expected on the Lido di Venezia until the curtain closes on September 7.
The festival was established in 1932 as a non-competitive event and it wasn’t until 1949 that it introduced its top award, the Leone d’Oro (or Golden Lion, inspired by the sculpture of a winged lion atop Saint Mark’s Basilica that has come to symbolize the city). Some notable past recipients of the major prize include General della Rovere (directed by Roberto Rossellini, 1959); Gloria (John Cassavetes, 1980); Brokeback Mountain (Ang Lee, 2005); Somewhere (Sofia Coppola, 2010), and last year’s winner, Poor Things (Yorgos Lanthimos).
If your invitation to the lido got lost in the mail, here’s a rundown of the Venice-endorsed Italian films competing for the Golden Lion — many of which may soon be coming to a theater near you.
1: Queer (Checca or Diverso)
Set in 1940s Mexico City, this adaptation of William S. Burroughs’ LGBTQ+ pulp fiction novel by the acclaimed Sicilian director Luca Guadagnino (Call Me By Your Name) stars Daniel Craig as an American drifter drawn to a drug-addicted compatriot, Allerton (played by Drew Starkey). Filmed last July at Rome’s Cinecittà studios, Craig’s daring performance has already garnered the actor, famous for stints as James Bond, plenty of Oscar buzz. Queer also stars Jason Schwartzman, Lesley Manville, Ronia Ava, and American singer Omar Apollo in his film debut.
2: Campo di Battaglia (Battlefield)
Directed by the Calabrian-born Gianni Amelio, this World War I saga is a timeless story about the horrors of war told through two medical officers (Alessandro Borghi and Gabriel Montesi) and a Red Cross worker (Federica Rossellini) — all childhood friends who find themselves working together in a military hospital on the front lines. Patients, soldiers sent to the trenches to die, have been voluntarily injuring themselves in hopes of returning home; when found out, many are sentenced to life in prison or death by firing squad. The twist comes near the end of the war when a mysterious infection spreads through the hospital and spills over into the civilian population.
3: Vermiglio
Set between 1944 and 1945 in a remote village high in the Italian Alps of South Tyrol, Vermiglio follows three sisters Lucia, Ada, and Flavia in the last year of World War II. The arrival of a deserting soldier, Pietro, changes their lives and family forever. Directed by Maura Delpero, this period drama’s filming took place in Val di Sole in Vermiglio, Carciato, at the Comasine Church in the municipality of Peio and at the Tonale Pass. Tommaso Ragno, Giuseppe De Domenico and Roberta Rovelli also appear in the film.
4: Iddu (The Last Godfather or Sicilian Letters)
Fabio Grassadonia and Antonio Piazza co-directed this Sicilian mafia drama starring Toni Servillo (La Grande Bellezza) and Elio Germano (Palazzina Laf). After being released from prison, Catello (Servillo) is asked by Italian authorities to help capture his godson Matteo, played by Germano. A cat-and-mouse game through small written notes or pizzini ensues. Though loosely inspired by mafia don Matteo Messina Denaro’s time as a fugitive, the film is, for the most part, a work of fiction.
5: Diva Futura (Future Diva)
Based on the novel Non dite alla mamma che faccio la segretaria (Don’t Tell Mama I’m a Secretary) by Debora Attanasio, Diva Futura chronicles the shadowy corners of the adult entertainment industry. Pietro Castellitto plays the real-life porn entrepreneur, Riccardo Schicchi, who in the 1980s founded the modeling agency “Diva Futura” with Ilona Staller (played by Lidija Kordić). The film is only Giulia Louise Steigerwalt’s second directorial turn (she also wrote the adapted screenplay).
A not-strictly-Italian honorable mention: Maria
Maria reimagines the tumultuous and tragic final days in Paris of one of the world’s greatest female opera singers, soprano Maria Callas. Directed by Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders) and Chilean director Pablo Larraín, Maria stars Angelina Jolie in the titular role. The Italian involvement that earned this film a spot on our list comes from actors Pierfrancesco Favino and Alba Rohrwacher, who play the two collaborators who remained at Callas’ side until the end.
A complete breakdown of programming and other useful information is available on La Biennale’s website.
