The 67th edition of the Venice Film Festival opens this evening with a screening of Daren Aronofsky's “Black Swan”, a thriller about the rivalry between two New York ballerinas and starring Natalie Portman.
The Venice Film Festival is the oldest in the world and its jury's decisions are often regarded as good indications of Oscar winners.
This year twenty-three films will be in competition but so far only twenty-two of these have been announced; the title of the twenty-third, “surprise film” will be announced on September 6th. The average age of the directors of the films in competition is forty-seven so the 2010 Festival is said to be showcasing the work of young directors. This year's jury will be chaired by Quentin Tarantino.
Italian hopes rest on four very different films:
Writer and actor Ascanio Celestini makes his directing debut with “La Pecora Nera” [“The Black Sheep”] a tale about a man who has lived in a psychiatric hospital for thirty-five years.
In “La Solitudine dei Numeri Primi” [“The Solitude of Prime Numbers”] directed by Saverio Costanzo, Alice and Mattia, who have both known tragedy in their young lives, meet at school. They form a special bond but life separates them until they meet again many years later and hidden emotions come to the surface.
“Noi Credevamo” [“We Believed”] directed by Mario Martone, tells the story of a group of young idealists during the Italian Unification period. The events of their lives are interwoven with events in the lives of real historical characters.
Finally, Carlo Mazzacurati's “La Passione” is a tragicomedy about a desperate, unemployed film director who is forced to direct a village Passion Play.
The most coveted prizes at the Festival are the Leone d'Oro for best film and the Coppa Volpi for the best male and female actors. There is also a Leone d'Oro for Lifetime Achievement which this year will be presented to the director and producer John Woo.
Apart from the films in competition, there are screenings of other new films plus a section called “Orizzonti” which will explore new trends in film and a “Controcampo italiano” section which will look at new trends in Italian cinema.
The Festival closes on September 11th.
Venice Film Festival Website.
