The Venice International Film Festival is turning 75 and the programme, the last to be selected by Marco Müller, promises to rise to the celebratory occasion. The figures (57 features in official selection, most having their world premieres) are still provisional: the outgoing director is used to 11th hour surprises and has announced (at least) three out-of-programme titles.

There are three Italians in competition: the second films by Paolo Franchi (Nessuna qualità agli eroi) and Andrea Porporati (Il dolce e l’amaro), along with Vincenzo Marra’s L’ora di punta [trailer].
Besides maestros Carlo Lizzani and Bernardo Bertolucci there are young filmmakers, such as first-time directors Pietro Marcello and Barbara Cupisti, who are bringing to Orizzonti Doc Il passaggio della linea and Madri respectively. As well as great curiosity for Tonino De Bernardi’s Médée Miracle, which stars Isabelle Huppert and will close Orizzonti.

The French delegation is highly varied, and vying for the Golden Lion are Abdellatif Kechiche (La Graine et le mulet [trailer]) and Eric Rohmer (Les amours d’Astrée et Celadon).

Damien Odoul is in Orizzonti with L’Histoire de Richard O. [trailer] and Arnaud Desplechin in Orizzonti Doc with the short L’Aimée, while Claude Chabrol (La Fille coupée en deux [trailer]) will be out of competition in the new Venezia Maestri section, in the company of Manoel de Oliveira and his French-Portuguese co-production Cristovão Colombo – O enigma.

Spain is bringing to the competition the courageous Jose Luis Guerin (En la ciudad de Sylvia [trailer]), and two filmmaking couples out of competition: Jaume Balaguerò and Paco Plaza (REC), and Adrià Garcìa and Victor Maldonado (Nocturna [trailer]). Orizzonti will feature The Silence Before Bach by master filmmaker Pere Portabella.

There are few titles from other European countries, with some areas largely excluded (Scandinavia and Central-Eastern Europe), although Orizzonti does feature the Baltic with the Estonian film Autumn’s Ball [trailer], the debut film by Veiko Ounpuu. The map of European cinema offered by Corto Cortissimo is more exhaustive, with short films from Denmark, Ireland, Poland, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Switzerland and Hungary.

Great Britain, however, is very well represented, with Joe Wright’s opening film Atonement [trailer], as well as (in competition, as always) Kenneth Branagh (Sleuth) and Ken Loach (It’s a Free World… [trailer]); Exodus by Penny Woolcock in Orizzonti; and numerous co-productions – from Nightwatching by Peter Greenaway to Woody Allen’s Cassandra’s Dream [trailer].

With the British presence so strong, together with many American films (above all I’m Not There by Todd Haynes, as well as Ang Lee, Brian De Palma, Wes Anderson and Paul Haggis), English seems to be the official language of the festival’s forthcoming edition.

In Competition

Joe Wright - Atonement UK/ISA, 123’

Wes Anderson - The Darjeeling Limited
USA, 91’

Kenneth Branagh - Sleuth
UK/USA, 86’

Youssef Chahine - Heya fawda (Le Chaos)
Egypt, 122’

Brian Dema - Redacted
USA, 90’

Andrew Dominik - The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
USA, 155’

Paolo Franchi - Nessuna qualità agli eroi
Italy/Switzerland/France, 102’

Tony Gilroy - Michael Clayton
USA, 119’

Peter Greenaway - Nightwatching
Canada/France/Germany/Poland/Netherlands/UK, 134’

Jose Luis Guerin - En la ciudad de Sylvia
Spain, 90’

Paul Haggis - In the Valley of Elah
USA, 120’

Todd Haynes - I’m Not There
USA, 135’

Jiang Wen - Taiyang zhaochang shenqi (The Sun Also Rises)
China/Hong Kong, 116’

Lee Kang Sheng (LI Kangsheng) - Bangbang wo aishen (Help Me Eros)
Taiwan, 107’

Abdellatif Kechiche - La Graine et le mulet
France 151’

Ang Lee (Li An) - Se, jie (Lust, Caution)
China/USA, 135’

Ken Loach - It’s a Free World…
UK/Italy/Germany/Spain, 96’

Vincenzo Marra - L’ora di punta
Italy, 96’

Miike Takashi - Sukiyaki Western Django
Japan, 121’

Nikita Mikhalkov - 12
Russian Federation, 153’

Andrea Porporati - Il dolce e l’amaro
Italia, 98’

Eric Rohmer - Les Amours d’Astrée et Céladon
France/Italy/Spain, 109’

Out of Competition - Venezia Maestri

Woody Allen - Cassandra’s Dream
UK/USA, 108’

Julio Bressane - Cleópatra
Brazil, 116’

Claude Chabrol - La Fille coupée en deux
France, 105’

Im Kwon Taek - Chun-nyun-hack (Beyond the Years)
South Korea, 106’

Kitano Takeshi - Kantoku banzai! (Glory to the Filmmaker!)
Japan, 104’

Manoel de Oliveira - Cristovão Colombo - O enigma
Portugal/France, 100’

Out of Competition – Venezia Notte – Opening and closing films
Sergio Leone - For a Fistful of Dollars (1964)
Italy/Spain/Germany, 100’

Alexi Tan - Tiantang kou (Blood Brothers)
Taiwan/China/Hong Kong, 95’

Paco Plaza, Jaume Balagueró - REC
Spain, 85’

Out of Competition – Venezia Notte
Asif Kapadia - Far North
UK/France, 89’

Richard Shepard - The Hunting Party
USA/Croatia/Bosnia and Herzegovina, 103’

Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini - The Nanny Diaries
USA, 107’

Adrià García, Víctor Maldonado - Nocturna
Spain/France, 83’

Orizzonti

Aoyama Shinji - Sad Vacation
Japan, 136’

João Canijo - Mal nascida
Portugal, 117’

Alex Cox - Searchers 2.0
USA, 90’

Tonino De Bernardi - Médée Miracle
Italy/France, 80’

Laura Amelia Guzman, Israel Cardenas - Cochochi
Mexico/UK/ Canada, 87’

Jeon Soo-il - Geomen tangyi sonyeo oi (With the Girl of Black Soil)
South Korea/France, 90’

Damien Odoul - L'Histoire de Richard O.
France, 74’

Veiko Õunpuu - Sügisball (Autumn Ball)
Estonia, 123’

Pere Portabella - Die Stille vor Bach (The Silence Before Bach)
Spain, 102’

Penny Woolcock - Exodus
UK, 111’

Lü Yue - Xiaoshuo (The Obscure)
China, 84’

Orizzonti Doc

Hartmut Bitomsky - Staub (Dust)
Germany, 90‘

Barbara Cupisti - Madri
Italy, 90’

Lav Diaz - Kagadanan sa banwaan ning mga engkanto (Death in the Land of Encantos)
Philippines, 480’

Jonathan Demme - Man from Plains
USA, 120’

Arnaud Desplechin - L’Aimée
France, 70’

Du Haibin San (Umbrella)
China, 100’

Cao Guimarães - Andarilho
Brazil, 81’

Jia Zhangke Wuyong (Useless)
China, 80’

Pietro Marcello - Il passaggio della linea
Italy, 60’

Joel Pizzini, Paloma Rocha - Anabazys
Brazil, 140’

Julian Schnabel - Berlin
USA, 80’