“It will be the festival of women not only behind the camera but also as protagonists of a more and more problematic and conscious idea of cinema”.
“Nah, it will be the festival of war, guilty and ghosts from the past, Guantanamo, Paul Schrader, the Circeo murderings brought back to life by Stefano Mordini’s La Scuola Cattolica based upon the novel by Edoardo Albinati”.
“Listen to me, there’s another key: after the great escape of 2020 because of the pandemic, this year the Americans are back to Lido. There’s Villeneuve’s Dune, Ridley Scott’s The Last Duel that tells the story of a medieval trial for rape, there are movies from Warner, Disney, Universal…”.
“Don’t get charmed, it’s true, Venice is the opening of the award season, Barbera himself claims this role and this call. But this year there are 5 Italian movies in competition. The last time happened in 1984, this must mean something. And most of all, there five so much different directors competing at the same level: Martone and Frammartino, Mainetti and Sorrentino, and don’t forget D’Innocenzo’s America Latina one of the most mysterious films of this year’s festival”.
“You almost convinced me. Patriotism does not fit cinema, but there are great expectations for all these movies. The Neapolitan Dynasty by Mario Martone tells the story of the artistic and familiar relationships of Scarpetta and the De Filippo brothers. The speleological adventure of Michelangelo Frammartino, 90’ in a cave without dialogue and music. Mainetti’s post-neorealistic freaks, the autobiography of Sorrentino… If we shall not win this year, we’ll never win again!”
“You see, you’re indulging in cine-patriotism! There’s a great competition. Brizè, on the workers side in movies such as La Loi du marché and En Guerre, this time folds the table, turning the ever-present Vincent Lindon into a manager on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog seems terrific. Pablo Larrain could hit the target, at last, thanks to his talent and the iconic Lady D played by Kristen Stewart. The two Russian movies in the competition pledge strong emotions talking about Stalinian purges and the Ukrainian war. And don’t forget Almodovar that opens the festival with a movie with a genius title, Madres Paralelas…”
“I could be patriotic, but you’re betting on big shots. But half of the directors in the competition are almost unknown. And I hope the winner would come from one of them”.
“There’s not only the official competition. It will be possible to give a look at the future of cinema thanks to Orizzonti, Venice Days and Critic’s Week. Major surprises often come from these sections. One of the directors selected in Orizzonti this year, Rodrigo Pià, won the Lion of the Future-De Laurentiis Award for his first feature, La zona, that was selected by Venice Days. The real competition is finding the surprise of the year. It’s the best of festivals. Even if having distribution for these movies is more and more complicated. And this is a problem that festivals cannot solve alone”.
