Venice Film Festival 2015 (La Biennale)
The 2nd of September signaled the beginning of the 72nd Venice International Film Festival, La Biennale, which meant 10 days of screenings, premieres, photocalls, red carpets, awards and general appreciation for the craft of filmmaking, we breakdown the major happenings at one of the major stops on the seemingly never-ending award season railway.
Premieres & Screenings
Wednesday the 2nd
Everest
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The Venice organizers managed to pull-off another coup this year by securing the international premiere of director Baltasar Kormákur’s mountain-climbing disaster thriller ‘Everest’ to open the festival, in attendance were several of the multinational all-star cast including Jake Gyllenhaal, Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, John Hawkes and Emily Watson.
‘Everest‘ is a tragic and harrowing story of survival based on the true story of a group of climbers struggling to reach the summit who are struck by a devastating storm, out in UK cinemas on the 18th of September and in US cinemas on the 25th of September.
Everest @ Venice 2015 highlights (courtesy of vpro cinema)
Thursday the 3rd
Spotlight
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The 2nd day at this year’s festival signaled the 2nd global premiere with writer/director Tom McCarthy’s journalistic drama sure to ruffle a few feathers in Italy and beyond, only the director plus stars Mark Ruffalo and Stanley Tucci were in attendance from an all star cast that brings to the screen the true story of the Boston Globe’s uncovering of a local child abuse church scandal that rocked the Catholic church to its core.
Also starring Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber and Billy Crudup among others and out on the 6th of November in the US, 29th of January 2016 in the UK.
Spotlight @ Venice 2015 highlights (courtesy of la Biennale YouTube channel)
Beasts of No Nation
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La Biennale was dragged into the 21st century on Wednesday with the premiere of ‘Beasts of No Nation’ solidifying the move from on-demand streaming to film production for distributors Netflix, potentially impacting the future of the cinema-going experience considering it will have a limited theatrical release and worldwide web release simultaneously.
In attendance were the film’s writer/director Cary Joji Fukunaga and its young star Abraham Attah, bringing to the world the harrowing story of a child soldier’s experiences of fighting a civil war in an unspecified African country, adapted from the novel by Uzodinma Iweala and also starring Idris Elba, out on the 16th of October.
Beasts of No Nation @ Venice 2015 highlights (courtesy of la Biennale YouTube channel)
Friday the 4th
Black Mass
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Thursday welcomed true star power to “The Bride of the Sea” with the premiere of one of the early award season contenders, the gritty “Whitey Bulger” Boston gangster biopic/drama ‘Black Mass’, and with it the film’s stars Johnny Depp, Dakota Johnson and Joel Edgerton along with director Scott Cooper.
‘Black Mass’ tells the story of one of the most notorious gangsters in US history Whitey Bulger, whose political connections and FBI informant status allowed for violent organized crime activities, early reviews are positive with Depp being lauded for a return to form, out on the 18th of September in the US and 27th of November in the UK, also starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Kevin Bacon and Juno Temple.
Black Mass @ Venice 2015 highlights (courtesy of AP)
Saturday the 5th
The Danish Girl
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Saturday saw the arrival of further potential award contenders in the form of the director and cast of European period transgender drama ‘The Danish Girl’, the unconventional love story of married Danish artists in early 20th century Europe who struggle to cope with the husband’s transition into one of the earliest identified transgender women through sex reassignment surgery, the artist Lily Elbe.
In attendance were director Tom Hooper and stars Eddie Redmayne, Alicia Vikander, Amber Heard and Matthias Schoenaerts, ‘The Danish Girl’ is released on the 27th of November in the US and 1st of January 2016 in the UK.
The Danish Girl @ Venice 2015 highlights (courtesy of Universal Pictures)
Equals
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Some of Hollywood’s young guns also sailed into town on Saturday for the world premiere of director Drake Doremus‘ sci-fi romance ‘Equals’, starring Kristen Stewart and Nicholas Hoult as two of the few people capable of true love in a seemingly utopian future society where emotions have been genetically eradicated to promote a violence-free society. No current release date but likely sometime in early 2016.
Equals @ Venice 2015 highlights (courtesy of la Biennale YouTube channel)
L’attesa
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Some of the cast & crew of one of the major Italian and French entrants into this year’s festival ‘L’attesa’ were also in attendance on Saturday, director Piero Messina and stars Juliette Binoche, Lou de Laâge and Antonio Folletto were present to represent the drama about a mother who gets to know her son’s fiancé as they both await his arrival at a Sicilian village.
L’attesa @ Venice 2015 highlights (courtesy of la Biennale YouTube channel)
Sunday the 6th
A Bigger Splash
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Sunday at La Biennale saw the premiere of director Luca Guadagnino’s comedy/drama ‘A Bigger Splash’ starring Tilda Swinton as a rock star whose break recovery on an Italian island with her partner is disrupted by the arrival of a flamboyant old flame and his daughter.
Along with the director were present the film’s principal stars Tilda Swinton, Matthias Schoenaerts, Dakota Johnson and Ralph Fiennes, who showed up still carrying some of his character’s interesting traits. ‘A Bigger Splash’ out on the 12th of February 2016 in the UK and 13th of May 2016 in the US.
A Bigger Splash @ Venice 2015 highlights (courtesy of la Biennale YouTube channel)
Man Down
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Shia LaBeouf rolled into town on Sunday with another gritty drama/thriller along with director Dito Montiel for the premiere of post-apocalyptic drama ‘Man Down’, starring LaBeouf as an American marine searching a harsh US landscape for his lost wife & son with the help of a fellow former marine played by Jai Courtney. No current release date.
Man Down @ Venice 2015 highlights (courtesy of la Biennale YouTube channel)
The Childhood of a Leader
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Arguably the most intriguing premiere on Sunday was that of actor-turned-director Brady Corbet’s ‘The Childhood of a Leader’, a story about the childhood experiences that formed a post World War I leader based on the hypothetical makings of some of 20th Century Europe’s most tyrannical figures.
In attendance, minus star Robert Pattinson, were much of the cast including Liam Cunningham, Bérénice Bejo, Stacy Martin and Tom Sweet, plus writer/director Brady Corbet before winning the “Lion of the Future” award for a debut film. No current release date.
The Childhood of a Leader @ Venice 2015 highlights (courtesy of la Biennale YouTube channel)
Tuesday the 8th
Anomalisa
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Tuesday brought perhaps the most original entry into this year’s festival with the screening of stop-motion animation comedy/drama ‘Anomalisa’ from the unique minds of Charlie Kaufman and co-director Duke Johnson, who were in attendance with the film’s vocal stars Jennifer Jason Leigh and Tom Noonan.
‘Anomalisa’ is a partially crowd-funded animation indie about a motivational speaker who has ironically become socially crippled by the mundanity of his own life, juries and audiences were impressed enough with the film to award it the “Grand Jury Prize”. There are no current release dates.
Anomalisa @ Venice 2015 highlights (courtesy of la Biennale YouTube channel)
Wednesday the 9th
De Palma
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Wednesday was director’s day in Venice as directors Noah Baumbach and Jake Paltrow premiered their documentary about legendary director Brian De Palma, who incidental was given the “Glory to the Filmmaker” award at this year’s festival. All three were in attendance and there is no current release date.
De Palma @ Venice 2015 highlights (courtesy of la Biennale YouTube channel)
Thursday the 10th
Remember
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Thursday brought the premiere of director Atom Egoyan’s revenge drama ‘Remember’ about a Holocaust survivor on a revenge mission in small town America against a former Nazi guard who murdered his family and is now living incognito.
The film’s three main stars Christopher Plummer, Martin Landau and Dean Norris were not in attendance but fellow cast members Bruno Ganz, Jürgen Prochnow and Heinz Lieven were, alongside director Atom Egoyan. Out on the 15th of January 2016.
Remember @ Venice 2015 highlights (courtesy of la Biennale YouTube channel)
Desde allá (From Afar)
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South America’s most impactful entrant this year is no doubt the Venezuelan/Mexican drama ‘Desde allá (From Afar)’, winner of the top Venice award the “Golden Lion”. A complex drama about a psychologically troubled middle-aged man in Caracas who seeks solace in the company of young boys, when an encounter with a young street criminal results in an unexpected relationship that changes both their lives.
In attendance among producers were stars Alfredo Castro and Luis Silva with writer/director Lorenzo Vigas, there is no current release date.
Desde allá (From Afar) @ Venice 2015 highlights (courtesy of la Biennale YouTube channel)
Friday the 11th
Go With Me
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Director Daniel Alfredson could not resist the allure of La Biennale bringing an early draft of his crime drama ‘Go With Me’ to the festival, a story about a harassed young woman who enlists the help of an old lumberjack and his young assistant to stand against the local cop turned crime lord upon her Pacific Northwest hometown return.
Only director Daniel Alfredson and star Alexander Ludwig were in attendance from an ensemble cast, the film is categorized as in post-production and there is no release date.
Go With Me @ Venice 2015 highlights (courtesy of la Biennale YouTube channel)
Venice Film Festival 2015 Awards (Next Page)–>
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