On July 23rd, 2024, the 81st Bienalle de Venezia announced its competition line-up where President Pietrangelo Buttafuoco and artistic director Alberto Barbera revealed this year’s titles. In recent years, the Bienalle has been a crucial destination for world premieres for US distributors looking to kick off their respective awards campaigns. Since 2017, five of the seven Golden Lion winners have received a nomination for best picture at the Oscars. Also, two of those winners have gone on to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards, The Shape of Water (2017) and Nomadland (2020).
Legendary French actress Isabelle Huppert will serve as the jury president. Completing the jury are American filmmaker James Gray, British filmmaker Andrew Haigh, Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Holland, Brazilian filmmaker and film critic Kleber Mendonça Filho, Mauritania filmmaker Abderrahmane Sissako, Italian filmmaker Giuseppe Tornatore, German filmmaker Julia Von Heinz, and Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi.
Read along as we examine this year’s slate of films competing for the Golden Lion.
The Room Next Door – Directed by Pedro Almodovár (Spain)
Celebrated Spanish director Pedro Almodovar is back in Venezia after last premiering with Madres Paralelas (Parallel Mothers) in 2021, winning the Volpi Cup (Best Actress Award) for Penelope Cruz. This year, he will present in the Lido with his first English-language film. The Room Next Door, an adaptation of What Are You Going Through by Sigrid Nunez, chronicles the flawed relationship between a war correspondent, Martha (Tilda Swinton), and her daughter, while their mutual friend Ingrid (Julianne Moore) found herself in the middle. The supporting cast includes John Turturro, Alessandro Nivola, Juan Diego Botto, Raúl Arévalo, Victoria Luengo, Alex Hogh Andersen, Esther McGregor, Alvise Rigo, and Melina Matthews. The film expects to be an award contender, and the repercussions in the Lido are essential.
Campo di Battaglia (Battlefield) – Directed by Gianni Amelio (Italy)
A long-time friend of the festival, Italian director Gianni Amelio, returns to Venezia with Campo di Battaglia (Battlefield). Winner of the Golden Lion back in 1998 for The Way We Laughed, this year marks his eight appearance in the competition, previously competing with Il Signore Delle Formiche (2022), L’Intrepido (2013), The Missing Star (2006), The Keys to the House (2004), The Way We Laughed (1998), Lamerica (1994), and Blow to the heart (1982). In his new project, he approaches World War I in the north of Italy. The story follows Stefano Zorzi (Alessandro Borghi), a doctor who must deal with physical and moral wounds. Amelio presents a film about medical ethics, friendship, and love in times of war. The cast also features Gabriel Montesi, Federica Rosellini, Giovanni Scotti, Vince Vivenzio, Alberto Cracco, Luca Lazzareschi, Maria Grazia Plos, Rita Bosello.
Leurs Enfants Apres Eux – Directed by Zoran & Ludovic Boukherma (France)
Leurs Enfants Apres Eux is an adaptation of the 2018 book by Nicolas Mathieu. The film is a coming-of-age story that follows three teenagers across four summers in a decadent town in the northeast of France between 1992 and 1999. The film got its funding with the ambition of being a project in the style of Paul Thomas Anderson and Martin Scorsese with Romanesque qualities. The Boukherma brothers have never been in Venezia’s competition. The cast has Paul Kircher, Angélina Woreth, Sayyid El Alami, Gilles Lellouche, Ludivine Sagnier, Louis Memmi.
The Brutalist – Directed by Brady Corbet (United Kingdom)
American actor and director Brady Corbet is back in Venezia with The Brutalist. His previous film, Vox Lux, had its world premiere in 2018. He has been developing his latest film ever since, co-writing it with Mona Fastvold. It tells the story of László Tóth’s (Adrien Brody), a Hungarian Jewish architect who survived the holocaust. Once he emigrated to the United States, his life changed after landing a contract with a wealthy and mysterious client. Brody, Guy Pearce, Felicity Jones, Joe Alwyn, Raffey Cassidy, Stacy Martin, Isaach De Bankolé, and Alessandro Nivola also star. Filmed with 70mm VistaVision cameras, the film boasts a 215 minutes runtime that includes 15 minutes of intermission and will be screened in the format.
Jouer Avec le Feu (The Quiet Son) – Directed by Delphine & Muriel Coulin (France)
Sisters Delphine and Muriel Coulin landed their latest film, Jouer Avec le Feu, in the Venezia competition. The film tells the story of Pierre (Vincent Lindon), the father of two sons. When his youngest son Louis (Stefan Crepon) goes to Sorbonne, the oldest son, Fus, becomes attracted to far-right extremist ideas. This ideological clash would put their family dynamic to the test. It is the Coulin sister’s first time in the Venice competition. Alongside Lindon and Crepon, Benjamin Voisin, Sophie Guillemin, Hugo Bariller, Denis Simonetta, Thomas Arnaud, Franco Provenzano, and Abdel Bouchendidkh are in the cast.
Vermiglio – Directed by Maura Delpero (Italy/France/Belgium)
Italian author Maura Delpero is debuting her latest, Vermiglio, in the competition. In her second fiction feature, she tackles World War II. Taking place in the last year of the conflict in a remote mountain village in northern Italy, the story is centred around a young soldier named Pietroo (Giuseppe De Domenico). The heart of the narrative surrounds a single rifle shot that ends the innocence of a woman. Alongside De Domenico, Tommaso Ragno, Roberta Rovelli, Martina Scrinzi, Orietta Notari, Carlotta Gamba, Santiago Fondevila Sancet, Rachele Potrich, Anna Thaler, Patrick Gardner, Enrico Panizza, Luis Thaler, Simone Bendetti, and Sara Serraiocco are part of the cast.
Iddu (Sicilian Letters) – Directed by Fabio Grassadonia & Antonio Piazza (Italy/France)
The Italian duo Fabio Grassadonia and Antonio Piazza present Iddu at this year’s competition, competing for the first time. The film is a crime drama set in the early 2000s and centers around the efforts of Castello (Toni Sevillo) in tracking down the last known Cosa Nostra boss, Matteo Denaro (Elio Germano). The two find themselves in a cat-and-mouse game while correspond through letters. Completing the cast are Daniela Marra, Barbora Bobulova, Giuseppe Tantillo, Fausto Russo Alesi, Antonia Truppo, Tommaso Ragno, Betti Pedrazzi, Filippo Luna, Rosario Palazzolo, Roberto De Francesco, Vincenzo Ferrera, Maurizio Marchetti, Gianluca Zaccaria, and Lucio Patanè.
Queer – Directed by Luca Guadagnino (Italy/United States)
Coming off his acclaimed hit earlier this year, Challengers. Fan-favorite Italian director Luca Guadagnino presents his second film of 2024. Queer is an adaptation of the same name by William S. Burroughs that sees Daniel Craig plays Lee, an American expatriate that becomes love struck with a younger man (Drew Starkey) in 1940s Mexico City. Guadagnino has been a long-time partner of the festival, previously competing with Bones and All (2022), Suspiria (2018), and A Bigger Splash (2015). Jason Schwartzman, Lesley Manville, Michael Borremans, Andra Ursuta, and David Lowery also star. His frequent collaborators, cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, editor Marco Costa, and composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, also return.
Kjærlighet (Love) – Directed by Dag Johan Haugerud (Norway)
Kjærlighet (Love) sees Norwegian director Dag Johan Haugerud delivers the second instalment of his Sex, Love, Dreams trology. The first instalment, Sex, was a Panorama section selection in this year’s Berlinale Film Festival. Love highlights the relationship between two healthcare workers, Tom (Tayo Cittadella Jacobsen) and Marianne (Andrea Bræin Hovig). Reported as a vibrant reflection on sexual freedom, the city of Oslo also plays a vital role in the narrative. Marte Engebrigtsen, Lars Jacob Holm, Thomas Gullestad, Marian Saastad Ottesen, and Morten Svartveit round out the cast.
April – Directed by Dea Kulumbegashvili (Georgia/France/Italy)
April, Georgian director Dea Kulumbegashvili’s long-awaited sophomore feature, will debut in the competition. Her first film, Becoming, debuted at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival. Distributed worldwide by MUBI, the film went on to become a hit. The story follows Nina (Ia Sukhitashvili), an obstetrician in the rural side of Georgia who helps patients get abortions, even though they are illegal. She must defend her values and actions when subject to an investigation. In development since 2022, the expectation was that the film would premiere at last year’s Cannes Film Festival.
The Order – Directed by Justin Kurzel (Canada)
Australian director Justin Kurzel, best known for Macbeth, Assassin’s Creed, and Nitram, is set to premiere his latest at the Lido. Zach Baylin (Creed III, King Richard, and Gran Turismo) penned the script. It is an adaptation of The Silent Brotherhood by Kevin Flynn and Gary Gerhardt and is centered around the investigation of an FBI agent (Jude Law) who notices a pattern of crimes in the Pacific Northwest. He tracks it down and links it to a white supremacist group called The Order, a radical group led by the charismatic Robert Jay Matheys (Nicholas Hoult). Jurnee Smollett, Tye Sheridan, Marc Maron, Odessa Young, Sebastian Pigott, George Tchortov, Victor Slezak, Edward Hall, and Philip Granger round out the cast.
Maria – Directed by Pablo Larraín (Italy/Germany/United States)
Chilean Pablo Larráin is back in Venezia’s competition after participating last year with El Conde. Maria is the final chapter of his women’s trilogy, alongside Jackie (2016) and Spencer (2021). The film also marks his sixth trip to Venice following El Conde, Spencer, Ema (2019), Jackie, and Post Mortem (2010). Angelina Jolie stars as famed opera singer Maria Callas. The biography tackles her final years in the 1970s, while she lived in Paris. Steven Knight penned the screenplay, and Edward Lachman serves as the cinematographer. Pierfrancesco Favino, Alba Rohrwacher, Haluk Bilginer, Kodi Smit-McPhee are also part of the cast. Fremantle, Komplizen Films, Fabula, and The Apartment Pictures produced the film. Jolie has the makings of a contender for the Best Actress award at next year’s Academy Awards, and is certainly a frontrunner for this year’s Volpi Cup.
Trois Amies – Directed by Emmanuel Mouret (France)
French director Emmanuel Mouret (Shall We Kiss?, The Art of Love, Diary of a Fleeting Affair) competes for the first time at the festival with Trois Amies. The film is a romantic dramedy that follows Joan, a woman who would become close friends with Rebecca and Alice after Joan’s ex-lover and father of her child, Victor, disappeared. As their friendship develops, Rebecca begins an affair with Alice’s partner, and they notice their differences in the romantic relationship philosophies. Camille Cottin, Sara Forestier, India Hair, Grégoire Ludig, Damien Bonnard, and Vincent Macaigne star.
Kill the Jockey – Directed by Luis Ortega (Argentina/Spain)
A world premiere at this year’s festival, Argentine director Luis Ortega’s mob film El Jockey (Kill the Jockey) tells the story of Remo (Nahuel Pérez Biscayart) and Abril (Úrsula Corberó), two jockeys who race for Sirena (Daniel Giménez Cacho), a powerful mobster. When Remo accidentally kills a valuable horse, Abril must find him in Buenos Aires and bring him home before the mobster tracks him. Ortega’s first appearance in Venezia’s competition, the film is a co-production between Argentina, Mexico, Spain, Denmark, and the United States.
Joker: Folie á Deux – Directed by Todd Phillips (United States)
Joker: Folie á Deux, the sequel to the 2019 Golden Lion winner Joker, will also see its world premiere at the Lido. Todd Phillips presents his latest work set in the series with a new take on his artistic approach. Marketed as a musical, the film centers around the romance between Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) and the therapist Harley Quinzel (Lady Gaga). There are rumors that the film has 15 musical numbers, mostly covers of pre-existing songs. Meanwhile, it has a budget of $200 million, almost four times the budget of the first one ($60 million). Besides the lead duo, the supporting cast includes the likes Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Zazie Beetz, and Steve Coogan. There are plenty of expectations for the film after the original earned over $1 billion at the box office, winning the Golden Lion and getting 11 nominations in the 2020 Academy Awards.
Babygirl – Directed by Halina Reijn (United States)
Halina Reijn’s follow-up of Bodies Bodies Bodies and Instinct, Babygirl debuts in the Lido. It chronicles the power dynamic within a company where its high-ranking CEO (Nicole Kidman) falls in love with a captivating intern (Harris Dickinson). The film revolves around the complexity of their forbidden affair. Antonio Banderas, Sophie Wilde, Esther McGregor, and Jean Reno are also part of the cast. Directed, written, and co-produced by Reijn, the film marks her second English-spoken production and her first appearance in Venezia’s competition.
Ainda Estou Aqui (I’m Still Here) – Directed by Walter Salles (Brazil/France)
Ten years after the release of Jia Zhangke, A Guy from Fenyang, Walter Salles is back in the directing chair with Ainda Estou Aqui, an adaptation of the book of the same name by Marcelo Rubens Paiva. Set in 1971, seven years after the beginning of the Brazilian dictatorial regime, the Brazilian Labour Party’s congressman, Ruben Paiva (Selton Mello), disappears. The story revolves around Eunice Paiva (Fernanda Torres/Fernanda Montenegro) and her five children after Ruben goes missing. The book and the film are told from a memoir perspective by the couple’s son and book’s author, Marcelo. Walter is back at the competition after 23 years, last appearing with Abril Despedaçado (Behind the Sun) in 2001. That year also marked the last time Brazil had a film in the principal selection of Venezia.
Diva Futura – Directed by Giulia Louise Steigerwalt (Italy)
still courtesy of Bienalle di Venezia
American-Italian director Giulia Louise Steigerwalt’s sophomore film, Diva Futura. will debut in the competition. The film follows Italian pornographic studio Diva Futura over the course of the 1980s and 1990s. An adaptation of Non dite alla mamma che faccio la segretaria (Don’t Tell Mom I’m a Secretary) by Debora Attanasio, Pietro Castellitto, Barbara Ronchi, Denise Capezza, Tesa Litvan, Lidija Kordić, Davide Iachini, Marco Iermanò also star.
Harvest – Directed by Athina Rachel Tsangari (United Kingdom/Germany/Greece/France/United States)
Nine years after the release of her last film, Chevalier, Athina Rachel Tsangari presents Harvest, an adaptation of book of the same name by Jim Grace. Set in England during the Middle Ages, the film tells the story of the economic turmoil a local village is suffering while they address three strangers as scapegoats. Tsangari penned the screenplay alongside Joslyn Barnes. Sean Price Williams is the cinematographer. Caleb Landry Jones, Harry Melling, Rosy McEwen, Arinzé Kene, Thalissa Teixeira, and Frank Dillane are part of the cast.
Qing Chun Gui (Youth – Homecoming) – Directed by Bing Wang (France/Luxembourg/Netherlands)
The final instalment of writer/director Wang Bing’s Youth trilogy is set to debut at this year’s Venezia. The trilogy is centered about textile workshops, focusing on the young workers there. Youth (Spring) debuted at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, while Youth (Hard Times) debuted as a competition title in this year’s Locarno Film Festival. Wang Bing previously competed in the Lido in 2010 with The Ditch.
Stranger Eyes – Directed by Siew Hua Yeo (Singapore/Taipei/France/United States)
Siew Hua Yeo’s Stranger Eyes closes Venezia’s competition slate and also marks the first Singaporean film in the festival’s history to participate in the competition. The film is centered around the disappearance of a father’s daughter, while recordings of his private life start to be sent to him. He suspects his neighbor and goes looking for answers. Chien-Ho Wu, Kang-Sheng Lee, Anicca Panna, Vera Chen, Pete Teo, Xenia Tan, and Maryanne Ng-Yew round out the cast.
The 81st Venice Film Festival/Bienalle de Venezia runs from Wednesday, August 28th to September 7th
still courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
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Brazilian film writer. He is also a producer and executive producer for Zariah Filmes. Member of the International Film Society Critics Association (IFSCA), International Documentary Association (IDA), and Gotham and Media Film Institute.
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