Wry smiles as Venice Film Festival announced
- 12 years ago
PLEASE NOTE THIS EDIT CONTAINS CONVERTED 4:3 MATERIAL
Few will have been excited when promised "more sober, less glitz."
But at the line-up announcement for the 69th annual Venice Film Festival there was enough to hint at intrigue and excitement ahead of the opening on late August.
The big names vying for the Golden Lion at this year's festival include Palme d'Or winner Terrence Malick with his latest film "To the Wonder" starring Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Rachel Weisz, and Javier Bardem and Brian De Palma with "Passion" starring Rachel McAdams and Noomi Rapace.
Returning artistic director Alberto Barbera wasted little time in taking a swipe at the dismissed previous director Marco Mueller, in commenting on the usual surprise entry.
SOUNDBITE: Artistic Director of The 69th International Venice Film Festival Alberto Barbera, saying (Italian):
"There is an 18th film in competition which we cannot yet reveal, we will do it in a few days. The only thing I can tell you is it is not a Chinese film."
The surprise film at last year's festival was Chinese.
Mueller, who now runs the competing Rome international film festival, is known for his passion for Asian cinema.
The former Venice festival director was dropped after two terms in charge.
Venice, the oldest film festival in the world, has more recently struggled for the Hollywood attention that Toronto usually gets.
Barbera said he was envious of the Toronto International Film Festival's director Piers Handling, mischievously suggesting his own job was the harder of the two.
SOUNDBITE: Artistic Director Of The 69Th International Venice Film Festival Alberto Barbera, saying (Italian):
"His main job is to decide which films will be Gala films and which in the main selection. We have chosen a much more difficult road."
U.S. director Michael Mann will head the jury at this year's Venice festival which runs from August 29-September 8.
Joel Flynn, Reuters
Few will have been excited when promised "more sober, less glitz."
But at the line-up announcement for the 69th annual Venice Film Festival there was enough to hint at intrigue and excitement ahead of the opening on late August.
The big names vying for the Golden Lion at this year's festival include Palme d'Or winner Terrence Malick with his latest film "To the Wonder" starring Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Rachel Weisz, and Javier Bardem and Brian De Palma with "Passion" starring Rachel McAdams and Noomi Rapace.
Returning artistic director Alberto Barbera wasted little time in taking a swipe at the dismissed previous director Marco Mueller, in commenting on the usual surprise entry.
SOUNDBITE: Artistic Director of The 69th International Venice Film Festival Alberto Barbera, saying (Italian):
"There is an 18th film in competition which we cannot yet reveal, we will do it in a few days. The only thing I can tell you is it is not a Chinese film."
The surprise film at last year's festival was Chinese.
Mueller, who now runs the competing Rome international film festival, is known for his passion for Asian cinema.
The former Venice festival director was dropped after two terms in charge.
Venice, the oldest film festival in the world, has more recently struggled for the Hollywood attention that Toronto usually gets.
Barbera said he was envious of the Toronto International Film Festival's director Piers Handling, mischievously suggesting his own job was the harder of the two.
SOUNDBITE: Artistic Director Of The 69Th International Venice Film Festival Alberto Barbera, saying (Italian):
"His main job is to decide which films will be Gala films and which in the main selection. We have chosen a much more difficult road."
U.S. director Michael Mann will head the jury at this year's Venice festival which runs from August 29-September 8.
Joel Flynn, Reuters