Venice Film Festival 2019 (La Biennale)
Monday the 2nd
Martin Eden
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Week two at Venice this year kicked off with another homegrown Golden Lion contender when writer/director Pietro Marcello brought to the Lido his Italian adaptation of Jack London’s coming-of-age social commentary novel ‘Martin Eden’. Set in the social upheaval of Italy in the early 20th century, it follows a young self-taught working class aspiring writer, struggling to climb the country’s social ladder only to become caught between his love for an aristocratic and her family, and the pull of the socialist circles into which he becomes drawn.
Marcello was joined by his stars Vincenzo Nemolato, Luca Marinelli, Jessica Cressy, Denise Sardisco, Marco Leonardi, and screenwriter Maurizio Braucci, ‘Martin Eden’ is out now in Italian cinemas, with no UK or US dates yet.
Martin Eden @ Venice 2019 (courtesy of BiennaleChannel)
No.7 Cherry Lane (Ji Yuan Tai Qi Hao)
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Monday also brought not only some rare animated participation to the the official competition, but also some Hong Kong involvement, as Chinese filmmaker Yonfan was flanked by his voiceover stars Tian Zhuangzhuang, Sylvia Chang and Alex Lam for a screening of their animated period romance ‘No.7 Cherry Lane’. A love triangle romance set in the comfort of Hong Kong of the 1960s and the turbulence to come, where a university student becomes caught between his relationship with a young woman he is tutoring, and his affection for her mother. ‘No.7 Cherry Lane’ has no release dates yet.
No.7 Cherry Lane (Ji Yuan Tai Qi Hao) @ Venice 2019 (courtesy of BiennaleChannel)
The King
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The big out-of-competition gala premiere on Monday came in the form of another Netflix historical epic, as Aussie writer/director David Michôd brought ‘The King’ to the Lido. A gritty and personal retelling of the medieval story of King Henry V of England, the reluctant young heir to the throne who becomes the monarch when his tyrannical father dies, leaving him to navigate the precarious politics of court while dealing with the morbid realities of war, conquest and the lust for power—on his way to becoming a celebrated warrior king and English cultural icon.
The director was flanked on the red carpet by his producers Liz Watts, Jeremy Kleiner and Dede Gardner, plus the film’s stars Ben Mendelsohn, Sean Harris, Tom Glynn-Carney, Timothée Chalamet, Lily-Rose Depp and Joel Edgerton, ‘The King’ is out on the 1st of November on Netflix.
The King Venice 2019 press conference (courtesy of sandra innit)
Tuesday the 3rd
Guest of Honour
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Tuesday this year brought the only Canadian participation in the official competition, and saw a return to Venice for Egyptian-Canadian writer/director Atom Egoyan, flanked by his stars Rossif Sutherland and Laysla De Oliveira, plus producer Arsinee Khanjian for a premiere of their dysfunctional family drama ‘Guest of Honour’. The story of a food inspector who begins to abuse the power of his office when his teacher daughter is falsely convicted of abusing her own authority, and innapropriate behaviour in school, as their uncomfortable pasts are dredged up as a result. ‘Guest of Honour’ has no release dates yet.
Guest of Honour @ Venice 2019 (courtesy of BiennaleChannel)
The Painted Bird
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Bleak East European flair also graced the festival official competition on Tuesday in the form of World War II drama, as Czech writer/director Václav Marhoul premiered his adaptation of the Jerzy Kosinski novel ‘The Black Bird’. A dark tale of survival set in rural Eastern Europe at the end of the war, when a young Jewish peasant boy must wander from village to village after his elderly foster mother dies, encountering the amorality and brutality of the people he encounters . . . both in uniform and out.
The director was joined at the Lido by his stars Udo Kier, Aleksey Kravchenko, Stellan Skarsgård, Barry Pepper, Petr Kotlár and Julian Sands, ‘The Painted Bird’ is out on the 12th of September in the Czech Republic, with no confirmed UK or US dates.
The Painted Bird @ Venice 2019 (courtesy of BiennaleChannel)
About Endlessness (Om det Oändliga)
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Not to be outdone one the human reflection front, Nordic cinema also made its presence felt on Tuesday when writer/director Roy Andersson returned to the Lido to flex his idiosyncratic existentialist muscle, flanked by his star Tatiana Delaunay and designer Anders Hellstrom for an in-competition premiere of their kaleidoscopic Swedish meditation on humanity ‘About Endlessness’. A vignette shaped journey through the pain, beauty and banality of human existence, seen through the prism of both the major and seemingly inconsequential moments which make up life. ‘About Endlessness’ has no current UK or US release dates.
About Endlessness @ Venice 2019 (courtesy of BiennaleChannel)
Wednesday the 4th
Babyteeth
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The only Australian participation at this year’s official competition made its presence felt on Wednesday, when Aussie writer/director Shannon Murphy brought along her feature debut ‘Babyteeth’ to the Lido red carpet. A gritty but uplifting coming-of age tale revolving around a self-styled teenager with a serious illness, who brings despair to her family when she falls for a petty drug dealer and begins to subvert their traditional morality, only to turn things around and win everyone over with her singular appreciation and lust for life.
The director was joined by her stars Ben Mendelsohn, Eliza Scanlen and Toby Wallace, ‘Babyteeth’ has no confirmed release dates yet.
Babyteeth @ Venice 2019 (courtesy of BiennaleChannel)
Saturday Fiction (Lan Xin da ju Yuan)
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Wednesday also saw the second Chinese contender for the Golden Lion grace the Lido when director Ye Lou returned to Venice with his period drama ‘Saturday Fiction’. A tale set in Japanese occupied China at the start of the second world war, where a star actress returns to appear in the run of a play, but her true motives slowly reveal themselves when personal interest clash with her cover, revealing her espionage mission in a place where intelligence between the allies and the axis is a battlefield—and challenging her with a secret which could change the course of the war.
The director was joined at the Lido by his stars Mark Chao, Pascal Greggory, Gong Li, Joe Odagiri, Tom Wlaschiha and Huang Xiangli, ‘Saturday Fiction’ is out on the 7th of December in China, with no other dates yet.
Saturday Fiction @ Venice 2019 (courtesy of BiennaleChannel)
Mosul
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Wednesday’s out-of-competition proceedings also brought an unlikely collaboration to the Lido when the team behind the last two ‘Avengers’ films teamed up the screenwriter of ‘The Kingdom’ and ‘World War Z’ Matthew Michael Carnahan for a premiere of his directorial debut ‘Mosul’—a tense and timely biographical war drama set in the intractable Syrian civil war, where a Mosul police SWAT unit becomes a renegade guerrilla operation when they take on thousands of ISIS fighters to save their city.
The director was flanked by his stars Mohamed Al Daradji, Adam Bessa and Suhail Dabbach, plus two of the film’s producers Joe and Anthony Russo, ‘Mosul’ has no confirmed release dates yet.
Thursday the 5th
Gloria Mundi
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Thursday’s official competition action threw up some further French participation when writer/director Robert Guédiguian returned to the Lido with his latest family drama ‘Gloria Mundi’. A Marseillais tale revolving around an uncomfortable and reflective family reunion after the birth of a baby girl, as grievances are aired and connections reforged with estranged members . . . even of the ex-con variety.
Guédiguian was joined by his stars Robinson Stevenin, Lola Naymark, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Anais Demoustier, Ariane Ascaride, Gerard Meylan and Gregoire Leprince-Ringuet, ‘Gloria Mundi’ is out on the 27th of November in France, with no UK date yet.
Gloria Mundi @ Venice 2019 (courtesy of BiennaleChannel)
The Domain (A Herdade)
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Thursday also brought some rather rare Portuguese participation in the main competition when writer/director Tiago Guedes brought along a bevvy of his stars including Victoria Guerra, Ana Vilela da Costa, Rodrigo Tomás, João Pedro Mamede , Albano Jerónimo, Sandra Faleiro, Beatriz Brás and Miguel Borges to the Venice red carpet for a premiere of their Portuguese period drama ‘The Domain’.
A sprawling family drama set in a lavish homestead on the banks of the Tagus river in the Portugal of the 1940’s all the way through today, following the fate of a wealthy family with a large estate who deal with family problems and secrets, set against the backdrop of a changing country over the course of the 20th century. ‘The Domain’ is out on the 19th of September in Portugal, with no other dates yet.
The Domain @ Venice 2019 (courtesy of BiennaleChannel)
Nevia
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The Horizons competition brought some further Italian participation on Thursday when writer/director Nunzia De Stefano brought her producer Matteo Garrone and stars Lola Bello Durojaiye, Franca Abategiovanni, Pietra Montecorvino, Rosy Franzese, Virginia Apicella, Gianfranco Gallo, Pietro Ragusa and Simone Borrelli for a premiere of her semi-autobiographical family drama ‘Nevia’. A gritty and modern coming-of-age tale set against the backdrop of deprivation, following a spirited diminutive teenager as she struggles to survive and retain her dignity while living with her family in a Neapolitan makeshift container park. ‘Nevia’ has no currently confirmed release dates.
Friday the 6th
Waiting for the Barbarians
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The penultimate day at this year’s festival drew visionary Colombian filmmaker Ciro Guerra to the Lido for his official competition debut, as he premiered his J.M. Coetzee adaptation and first English language film ‘Waiting for the Barbarians’; a period tale with contemporary echoes set in an unspecified foreign empire, where a magistrate at a remote outpost begins to have a crisis of conscience when the brutal treatment of the bordering barbarians, and his role in it, begins to stoke the fires of rebellion within.
Guerra brought along some real star power when Johnny Depp rocked up along with his co-stars Mark Rylance and Gana Bayarsaikhan, ‘Waiting for the Barbarians’ has no confirmed release dates yet.
Waiting for the Barbarians @ Venice 2019 (courtesy of BiennaleChannel)
The Mafia Is No Longer What It Used to Be (La Mafia Non è Più Guella Di Una Volta)
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The final Golden Lion contender this year was a homegrown documentary affair, and a state-of-play follow-up to 2015 documentary ‘Belluscone’, as director Franco Maresco returned to the Lido for a premiere of ‘The Mafia Is No Longer What It Used to Be’. A Sicilian story where Neomelodic music intersects with the Cosa Nostra, focusing on figures like celebrated photographer Letizia Battaglia who chronicled the history of 20th century Mafia wars and its effects on society, and music manager/organiser with ties to the mob Ciccio Mira, painting a portrait of ambiguity between pro and anti-Mafia sentiment—and a bizarre nostalgia for a time gone by. ‘The Mafia Is No Longer What It Used to Be’ is out in Italian cinemas on the 12th of September, with no other release dates yet.
The Mafia Is No Longer What It Used to Be @ Venice 2019 (courtesy of BiennaleChannel)
Zumiriki
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The second Friday’s Horizons competition contender could hardly be a more personal affair, as one-man film crew Oskar Alegria brought his Basque chronicle of memory and youth revisited ‘Zumiriki’ to the Lido. In it the Spanish director travels back to the river which holds such strong memories, as he builds a cabin and lives wild on the bank opposite the island where he’d spent much of his childhood, which has since been engulfed by the rising waters from a dam construction, vividly attempting to re-capture a moment in time. ‘Zumiriki’ has no confirmed dates yet.
Zumiriki trailer (TrailTiz)
Saturday the 7th
The Burnt Orange Heresy
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Saturday’s closing out-of-competition film brought music titans and Hollywood legends to the Lido when Mick Jagger and Donald Sutherland were joined by co-stars Claes Bang and Elizabeth Debicki, plus director Giuseppe Capotondi, for a premiere of twisting neo-noir thriller and Charles Willeford adaptation ‘The Burnt Orange Heresy’.
A tale of ambition and deception set in Italy and the world of fine art, where a sophisticated and ambitious art critic and his alluring partner are recruited by a wealthy art collector to charm a reclusive master artist, and steal his masterpiece, only to find things are not as they seem yet still succumb to ambition and plunge any depth to get what he wants. ‘The Burnt Orange Heresy’ has no confirmed release dates yet.
The Burnt Orange Heresy @ Venice 2019 (courtesy of BiennaleChannel)
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