Fast forward to two-thirds of 2021. In late summer and early autumn, the star-studded water city of Venice on the Gulf of Adriatic is set to welcome the 78th Venice International Film Festival, an international film event that attracts global attention from September 1 to 11.
Main visual poster of the 78th Venice International Film Festival
The chairman of the jury of the main competition section of this year's film festival is Korean director Bong Joon-ho, which is the first time that a Korean director has held this position. The Golden Lion for Best Film, the Venice International Film Festival's highest award, will be selected from the 21 shortlisted works.
South Korean director Bong Joon-ho
This year's Venice International Film Festival has set up units such as "Main Competition", "Horizon", "Non-Competition Screening", "VR Competition" and other units, as well as parallel units such as "International Film Critics Week" and "Venice Day".
From the official release of the full list of films, it can be seen that the films selected this year are especially fantasy and thriller types. For example, thriller films such as "Mona Lisa and blood moon", "Weird Out of the Street", "Doomsday 2", "Box" and other thrillers shortlisted for the main competition unit, as well as the highly anticipated sci-fi adventure blockbuster "Dune" of the year, David Gordon Green's new thriller "Moonlight Panic: Killing" and Edgar Wright's "Soho District Horror Night".
Moonlight Panic: Killing
Among the Chinese films, "Waterfall", directed by Zhong Menghong and starring Jia Jingwen and Wang Jing, was shortlisted for the horizon competition unit, and the short film "Head Rope, Egg, Homework Book" directed by Luo Runxiao was shortlisted for the horizon short film competition unit. Young director Chen Guanshou's feature film "Deep Space" was shortlisted for the Venice Day unit and was selected as the opening film. In addition, the VR interactive work "Last Wish" co-directed by Wang Haipei and Wang Shanshan was selected for the VR competition unit, and "State of Mind VR" co-directed by Deng Zuyun and Cao Yong was selected as the annual selection of VR.
Waterfall
This year's Venice International Film Festival is star-studded and full of good films, and the editor has specially selected 16 must-see masterpieces to give you a sneak peek!
Venice· Watch
Would highly recommend
Opening film | Parallel mothers
Director / Writer: Pedro Almodóvar
Starring: Penelope Cruz / Milena Smit / Rossi de Palma
Written and directed by Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar (who directed Wild Tales), the film is the opening film of this year's Venice Film Festival.
The film tells the story of two mothers who are about to be in the pot and are admitted to a hospital ward by chance. One is Janice, who is about to enter middle age, and despite her unexpected pregnancy, she is ecstatic about the arrival of a new life; the other is a young Anna who feels anxious, scared, and even full of traumatic emotions in the face of a mother's life that she never imagined.
As the two walked slowly through the hospital corridor like sleepwalks to pour out their emotions to each other, Janice tried to encourage Anna, connecting them closely during the conversation, and such a relationship would decisively change their lives.
Main competition unit
Especially recommended | Mona Lisa with blood moon
Director: Anna Lily Amipur
Writers: Anna Lily Amipur
Starring: Jeon Chung-ri / Kate Hudson / Ed Scringen / Craig Robinson
The film tells the story of a woman with dangerous superpowers who escapes from a New Orleans mental hospital and reintegrates into the chaos of modern civilization in a joyful street. The biggest highlight of the film is the first appearance of Korean actress Jeon Jong-sui in American films starring in "Burning" and "Miss".
Especially recommended | Another world
Director: Steven Busse
Writers: Steven Busser / Olivier Lagos
Starring: Sandrine Kiberan / Anthony Bayon / Vincent Linton
The film is one of the festival's most anticipated French films, revolving around Philippe, a 57-year-old American head of business. Philip's wife was dissatisfied with her husband being consumed by the pressure of his work and was ready to leave him. And Philip, faced with the contradictory demands of his superiors, did not know how to cope. Caught in the dual dilemma of family and career, he is on the verge of collapse.
Especially recommended | The Power of Dogs
Director: Jane Campion
Writers: Jane Campion / Thomas Savage
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch / Kerstin Dunst / Jesse Plemont
Adapted from Thomas Savage's novel of the same name, the film focuses on a pair of Montana brothers with diametrically opposed personalities, Cumberbatch's Phil is a cold, picky, gentle man, and his brother George is elegant, intelligent, and cruel. Together, they own the largest ranch in the Montana Valley. However, when George secretly marries a local widow, a series of conflicts arise between the two.
Especially recommended | Main Contest
Director: Mariano Cohen / Gaston Du Palat
Writers: Mariano Cohen / Andrés Du pratt / Gaston Du Palat
Starring: Antonio Banderas / Penelope Cruz / Oscar Martinez
A billionaire wanted to make a movie to gain recognition from all walks of life, so he hired a well-known director Laura and two talented actors to form a shooting team. As the director issues an increasingly bizarre series of instructions, the two legendary actors who look at each other not only try to learn to face each other, but also examine their past achievements.
Co-directed by Argentine directors Mariano Cohen and Gaston Du Palat, they have collaborated on eight films, and the two co-directed "Outstanding Citizen" was shortlisted for the 73rd Venice Film Festival and was hailed as the best Latin American film in recent years.
Especially recommended | hole
Director: Michelangelo Flamartino
Writers: Michelangelo Franmartino
A team of cave expeditions has explored all the caves in northern Italy. So in August 1961, they changed course and headed south to continue exploring caves unknown to humans. Young expeditions enter one of the deepest caves in the world and embark on an unknown journey through darkness and depth.
Especially recommended | Spencer
Director: Pablo Laraine
Writers: Steven Knight
Starring: Kristen Stewart / Jack Farsing / Sally Hawkins
Directed by Pablo Laraine (First Lady) and written by Steven Knight (The League of Spies), the film tells the story of an important weekend in the early 1990s when Diana realizes that her marriage to Prince Charles has broken down and decides to have a showdown with the royal family and choose a new direction for life.
Especially recommended | Card counters
Director / Writer: Paul Schrader
Starring: Oscar Isaac / Tiffany Hades / Tye Sheridan
Ter suri only wants to play cards, while Chick is a fragile and irritable young man. Cheek is seeking help carrying out his plans for revenge against the military colonel. Thiel also saw hope of revenge in Cheek.
With the support of the mysterious gambling financier La Linda, Thiel leads Cheek through the casino until the trio sets their sights on winning the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. But it turns out that keeping Cheek focused won't work, and Thiel is dragged back into the dark shadows of his past.
Especially recommended | The Hand of God
Director / Writer: Paulo Sorrentino
Starring: Filippo Scotti / Tony Severo / Teresa Saponangelo
The famous Italian director Paolo Sorentti wrote and directed the new Netflix film, and the plot details have not been revealed, but the film production team said that it was a "personal film" filmed in Sorrentino's hometown of Naples.
Paulo Sorrentino won the Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2008 for "Big Stars", and in 2011 his film "Revenge for the Father" was shortlisted for the main competition section of the 64th Cannes Film Festival, and in 2013, "The City of Beauty" was again shortlisted for the main competition section of the Cannes Film Festival.
Especially recommended | Weird people out of the street
Directed By: Gabriel Menetti
Writers: Nicola Guglianone
Starring: Franz Rogovsky / Eric Gordon / Claudio Santa Maria
In 1943, four brothers and sisters worked in the circus of the Eternal City. When the tragedy of World War II struck Rome, circus owners, who were also their fathers in their hearts, disappeared while trying to find an overseas sanctuary for them. As a result, the four fell into chaos, and they only felt like monsters, lost in the war-torn city.
Other shortlisted films in the main competition section | Doomsday Killer 2 Daughter of darkness I'm laughing here Box Human comedy leaving no trace is happening Captain Wolkonigov on the run Reflection Latin American sunset
Non-competition units
Feature film recommendations | dune
Director: Dennis Villeneuve
Writers: Frank Herbert / Joe Spice / Dennis Villeneuve / Eric Rose
Starring: Timothy Challemet / Rebecca Ferguson
Adapted from the novel of the same name by American writer Frank Herbert, the film presents a mysterious and touching heroic journey. The gifted teenager Paul Erridi is guided by fate to defend his family and people, determined to embark on a thrilling adventure on the most dangerous planet in the vast universe.
At the same time, various forces have joined the battlefield in order to seize a precious resource on the planet that can unleash the greatest potential of humanity. Ultimately, only those who can overcome their inner fears will survive.
It is worth mentioning that Zhang Zhen played the role of Dr. Yue in the film. This is Zhang Zhen's first collaboration with director Dennis Villeneuve (who has directed "Blade Runner 2049" and "Arrival") and other Hollywood top supporters, and it is also his first attempt at science fiction movies.
Documentary recommendations | Sound soul at a glance
Director / Writer: Giuseppe Tornadore
Starring: Ennio Morricone / Quentin Tarantino / Clint Eastwood / John Williams / Hans Zimmer / Oliver Stone / Wong Kar Wai
Morricone and Tornadore
The film was directed by italian director Giuseppe Tornadore and produced by Gijani Russell, Wong Kar-wai and others. Filmed over a five-year period spanning Europe and the United States, it presents a narrative approach to the little-known side of the more than 70-year career of Italian music master Ennio Morricone, exploring the stories between him and famous friends and colleagues in the world.
Morricone and Wong Kar-wai
Tornadore interviewed more than 70 of the world's top film and music masters, including Wong Kar-wai, Quentin Tarantino, Bernardo Bertolucci, Clint Eastwood and Bruce Springsteen, who have worked with Morricone. At the same time, the film also combines the images of Morricone's world tour with classic film clips composed by him, setting off beautiful memories in the hearts of countless fans.
Horizon unit
Highly recommended | waterfall
Director: Zhong Menghong
Writers: Zhong Menghong / Zhang Yaosheng
Starring: Jia Jingwen / Wang Jing / Wei Ruxuan / Li Liren
The film, the first female film directed by Golden Horse Award winner Zhong Menghong, starring Alyssa Jia and Wang Jing, tells the story of an unexpected change in the worrisome relationship between a mother and daughter during the quarantine of the outbreak. The film competes for the Horizon Award, the highest honor in the unit.
Short film recommendations | Head rope, eggs, workbook
Director / Writer: Luo Runxiao
Starring: Miao Junyan / Wang Yanglai / Shen Siliang / Wang Luka
This is an ordinary day for Lin Yuqi as the leader of the Fifth Fourth Class. It wasn't until just before school that she was snatched from the head rope by the class's troublemaker King Yilong and accidentally discovered his secret. After the speech at the parent-teacher conference, the head rope that was snatched away, the egg that the mother used to apply the wound, the homework book that was repeated every day, everything was connected. The school was unchanged, and Lin Yuqi started her day again.
VR competition unit
Highly recommended | Wishes
Following "Borderlands VR" and "Kill the Big Star", iQIYI's self-made immersive VR interactive content "Last Wish" was once again shortlisted for the VR competition unit, which can compete for the highest honor jury award in the unit. The Venice Film Festival began to set up a VR competition unit in 2017, which is the first international film festival in the three major film festivals in Europe to set up this unit.
Directed by Wang Haipei and Wang Shanshan, the film uses an immersive drama multi-line parallel narrative structure to tell the story of six heirs of the estate after the death of an art dealer. In the confined space, the different faces of each person are presented in front of the camera one by one, and the scene once again triggers the death event...
Venice Day Unit
Opening film | Deep space
Director / Writer: Chen Guan
Starring: Wei Ruguang / Deng Keyu
The film is the feature film debut written and directed by young Chinese director Chen Guan, with Cheng Qingsong as the executive producer, telling the story of the epidemic, when Xiaoxiao was forced to stay in a strange city, and she met Li You, who was bored.
Two young men wandered like two fish in an empty city, ready to move. The jagged time needs to be filled, the immediate desires have not yet been vented, who still cares about the dangers of the environment, the dogmatic notion that the body is honest. In a gap in time that transgresses reality, spread the wilderness with a realistic disposition.
The film was shortlisted for the "Venice Day" competition and was selected as the opening film of the unit. "Venice Day" is a parallel competition unit of the Venice Film Festival, which aims to discover the new face of the world film industry without restraint, and selects films that focus on innovation, originality, independence and other characteristics. Any directorial debut selected for this unit can compete for the Future Golden Lion Award.
Tips: For more film information, please refer to the official website of the Venice International Film Festival ~ ~
Text | Fore Magic Song
Edit | Fore Magic Song