The Paper's reporter Cheng Xiaojun
On July 26, local time, the finalists of the main competition unit of the Golden Lion Award of the 79th Venice Film Festival were announced. New works by many famous directors, including Alejandro González Iñárritu, Darren Aronofsky, Jafa Panahi, Martin MacDonald, Frederick Wiseman, Luca Guadaneno, Noah Baumbach, etc., are shortlisted, and Kate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton, Timothy Chalame, Penelope Cruz, Hugh Jackman, Vanessa Corby, Anna de Armas and other hollywood actors who starred in these works are also expected to visit Watertown. Add to this year's film festival.
Poster for the 79th Venice Film Festival
The 79th Venice Film Festival will open on August 31 and close on September 10, local time. This year's main competition jury is chaired by American actress Julian Moore, and the jury also includes Argentine director Mariano Cohen, Italian director Leonardo Di Costanza, French director Audrey Divan, Iranian actor Layla Hatami, British-Japanese writer Kazuo Ishiguro, and Hispanic director Rodrigo Sologoyan.
Stills from White Noise
Among the 23 shortlisted films in the main competition section, American director Noah Baumbach's "White Noise" will be unveiled as the opening film. Produced by streaming platform Netflix and based on Don Driro's novel of the same name, Baumbach's girlfriend Greta Gerweger plays a couple with his old partner Adam Dreiffer, a chemical leak that completely changes the family's otherwise peaceful life.
Stills from Behemoth
Darren Aronofsky's new film Behemoth, based on Samuel D. Hunter's theatrical work of the same name, tells the story of a six-hundred-pound Charlie who lives in seclusion in the Idaho countryside and wants to reach Elysium early by eating continuously. His friends Liz and The Mormon missionary Thomas tried to arouse his desire to survive, but the only one who seemed to be able to save his daughter, Ellie, could not easily improve his relationship. Brandon Fisher, whose image has changed drastically in recent years and faded from the screen, plays the protagonist Charlie. Thinking that year, Aronofsky's "King of Wrestling" not only won the Golden Lion Award, but also brought the acting career of the lead actor Mickey Locke back to life, and I believe that this new film can also bring Brandon Fisher back to the public's vision.
Alejandro González Iñárritu's Poet (or A False Chronicle of a Few Truths) is his new work, after eleven years of absence from his native Mexico. The film looks back at mexico's present and history from the perspective of a journalist and documentary filmmaker. The film is also produced by Netflix, and from the content point of view, it is reminiscent of Iñárritu's hometown Alfonso Cuarón's golden lion-winning work "Roma".
The only documentary in the main competition section comes from American director Laura Perterras' Beauty and Blood, focusing on the struggle between American cinematographer Nan Goldin and the Sackler family that produced the addictive painkiller OxyContin (the drug company controller involved in the American drama "Addiction Dose"). And the documentary master Friedrick Wiseman's new work "A Couple" this time is a drama film.
Stills from "Thar" starring Kate Blanchett
Stills from Bones and All
In addition, Iranian director Jafa Panasi's new work "No Bears Ahead", which was recently sentenced to six years in prison, tells two parallel love stories; Directed by Todd Field and starring Kate Blanchett, Tarr presents the life of a female musician in front of and behind the scenes; Luca Guadagnino's re-collaboration with Timothy Chalame, Bones and All, explores the cannibal's path from a romantic and eerie perspective; Directed by Andrew Dominic and starring Anna de Armas, Blonde Beauty presents a short but wonderful life from the perspective of Marilyn Monroe herself; Froen Zeller's new work, Sons Stuck in the Heart, the director of "Father Trapped in Time," focuses on adolescent depression and stars Hugh Jackman and Vanessa Kirby. In the main competition section, the only work from East Asia is "Love Life" by Japanese director Koji Fukada, starring Fumino Kimura and Nagayama, inspired by the famous Japanese jazz pianist and singer Kento Yano published the song of the same name in 1991.
Stills from "Blonde Beauty"
In addition to the main competition section, the danish director Russ von Trier's episode "The Kingdom Exodus" will also be screened in Venice, which is 25 years away from the previous season and has five episodes of one hour each.
Unfortunately, there are no Chinese films in the competition units of this year's Venice Film Festival. The late director Yang Dechang's work "The Age of Independence" will be unveiled in the "Venice Classics" section.
【Main Competition Unit Finalist Films】
White Noise
Director: Noah Baumbach (USA)
Starring: Adam Dreifer, Greta Gerweger
《蚁王》(The Ant Lord)
Director: Gianni Amélio (Italy)
Starring: Luigi Lo Cassio Elio Germano
The Whale
Director: Darren Aronofsky (USA)
Starring: Brandon Fisher Chowhon Sadie Zink
L'Immensita
Director: Emmanuel Criares (Italy)
Starring: Penelope Cruz
Saint-Omer
Director: Alice Diop (France)
Starring: Kayije Kagame / Guslagie Malanga
Blonde
Director: Andrew Dominic (Australia)
Starring: Anna de Armas Adrian Brody
TÁR
Director: Todd Field (USA)
Starring: Kate Blanchett Nina Hoss nomi Melant Mark Strong
Love Life
Voiced by: Koji Fukada (Japan)
Starring: Fumino Kimura, Ryoto Nagayama
Bardo (Or False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths)
Director: Alessandro Gonzalez Iñárritu (Mexico)
Starring: Daniel Jimenez Cacho
Athena
Director: Romain Gavras (France)
Starring: Dali Ben Salah Sami Slimane
Bones & All
Director: Luca Guadagnino (Italy)
Starring: Tyler Russell Timothy Chalame
The Eternal Daughter
Directed by Joanna Hogg (UK)
Starring: Tilda Swinton Joseph Medel
Beyond The Wall
Director: Wahid Jalliwand (Iran)
Starring: Diana Habibi Amir Agay
The Banshees Of Inisherin
Director: Martin McDonald (UK)
Starring: Bledan Gleason Colin Farrell
Argentina, 1985 (1985)
Director: Santiago Mitre (Argentina)
Starring: Ricardo Darling, Pete Lansani
Chiara
Director: Suzanne Nichiarelli (Italy)
Starring: Margarita Mazurco
Monica
Director: Andre Palaulo (Italy)
Starring: Tris Lysette Patria Clarkson
No Bears Ahead
Director: Jafa Panahi (Iran)
Starring: Jafa Panahi Mina Kavani Nasser Hashmi
《美与血》（All the Beauty and the Bloodshed）
Director: Laura Porterras (USA)
A Couple
Director: Frederick Wiseman (USA)
Starring: Natalie Buvo
"The Son"
Director: Florian Zeller (France)
Starring: Hugh Jackman Vanessa Kirby
Les Miens (Our Bond)
Director: Rochedi Zem (France)
Starring: Semi Boyajira Roshdy ZemMawin
Les enfants des autres
Director: Rebecca Zlotowski (France)
Starring: Veržini Ephra Roshdi Zemyamy Kuzora Ziara Mastruani
Editor-in-Charge: Zhang Zhe