When will I stop bragging that I’m going to the Venice Film Festival this year? Let’s be honest – Never. My daughter, who is a magazine editor, thinks I should try to get a press pass, and I will try but that seems like a long shot. Below are the films and events in and out of competition and I’ve highlighted the Italian language stuff.
In Competition:
The Ides Of March, George Clooney (US) [opening film]
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, Tomas Alfredson (UK, Germany)
Wuthering Heights, Andrea Arnold (UK)
Texas Killing Fields, Ami Canaan Maan (US) (second work)
Quando La Notte, Cristina Comencini (Italy) – The new one from prolific and award winning director Comencini (La Bestia Nel Cuore) with Filippo Timi (Vincere, La Doppia Ora) and Claudia Pandolfi (La Prima Cosa Bella).
Terraferma, Emanuele Crialese (Italy/France) – This one from Crialese, who brought us Nuovomondo and Respiro stars Donatella Finocchiaro.
A Dangerous Method, David Cronenberg (Germany/Canada)
4:44 Last Day On Earth, Abel Ferrara (US)
Killer Joe, William Friedkin (US)
Un Ete Brulant, Philippe Garrel (France/Italy/Switzerland)
A Simple Life (Taojie), Ann Hui (China/Hong Kong)
The Exchange (Hahithalfut), Eran Kolirin (Israel) (second work)
Alps (Alpeis), Yorgos Lanthimos (Greece)
Shame, Steve McQueen (UK) (second work)
L’ultimo Terrestre, Gian Alfonso Pacinotti (GIPI) (Italy) (first work) – Can’t find much about this except that it’s about a solitary man and the last week on the planet before extraterrestrials take over.
Carnage, Roman Polanski (France/Germany/Spain/Poland)
Chicken With Plums, Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud (France/Belgium/Germany)
Faust, Aleksander Sokurov (Russia)
Dark Horse, Todd Solondz (US)
Himizu, Sion Sono (Japan)
Seediq Bale, Wei Te-Sheng (Taiwan) (second work)
Surprise film
OUT OF COMPETITION
Vivan las Antipodas! (documentary), Victor Kossakovsky (Germany/Argentina/Holland/Chile/Russia) [opening film]
Damsels In Distress, Whit Stillman (US) [closing film]
La Folie Almayer, Chantal Akerman (Belgium/France)
The Sorcerer And The White Snake (Baish Echuanshuo), Tony Ching Siu-Tung (China/Hong Kong)
Giochi D’estate, Rolando Colla (Switzerland/Italy)
La Desintegration, Philippe Fauchon (Belgium)
The Moth Diaries, Mary Harron (Canada/Ireland)
Alois Nebel, Tomas Lunak (first work) (Czech Republic/Germany)
W.E., Madonna (UK) (second work)
Eva, Kike Maillo (UK) (first work)
Scossa, Francesco Maselli, Carlo Lizzani, Ugo Gregoretti, Nino Russo (Italy)
La Cle Des Champs, Claude Nuridsany, Marie Perennou (France)
Il Villaggio Di Cartone, Ermanno Olmi (Italy)
Wilde Salome, Al Pacino (US)
Tormented, Takashi Shimizu (Japan)
Contagion, Steven Soderbergh (US)
Marco Bellocchio, Venezia 2011, Pietro Marcello (Italy) (documentary, short)
La Meditazione Di Hayez, Mario Martone (Italy) (short)
Tahrir 2011, Tamer Ezzat, Ahmad Abdalla, Ayten Amin, Amr Salama (Egypt) (documentary)
The End, Collectif Abounaddara (Syria)
Vanguard, Colleftif Abounaddara (Syria)
Evolution (Megaplex) (3D), Marco Brambilla (US) (experimental film)
Out of Competition Events
Questa Storia Qua , Alessandro Paris, Sibylle Righetti (Italy) (documentary)
Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has To Travel, Lisa Immordino Vreeland (US) (documentary)
Golden Career Lion – Nel Nome Del Padre, Marcho Bellocchio (Italy)
I Love Italian Everything 