Provocation and diversity on the programme at the Venice Days

by Vittoria Scarpa

22/07/2014 - De Matteo, Farina, Cantet and Honoré in competition, Kim Ki-duk and De La Iglesia out of competition. Two new awards up for grabs. Class Enemy, Girlhood and Ida finalists for the LUX Prize

Provocation and diversity on the programme at the Venice Days

Métamorphoses by Christophe Honoré

Twelve films in competition, two out of competition, four special events and two new awards. For its 11th edition, Venice Days, the autonomous and independent section of the Venice Film Festival (27 August – 6 September) directed by Giorgio Gosetti, is repositioning itself with a modest selection characterised by provocation, diversity and discovery.

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The first novelty this year is the establishment of the Venice Days Award, which will grant 20 thousand euro to be shared equally among the movie director and its international seller. The winner will be selected by a very special jury: the 28 youths from “28 Times Cinema”, the initiative that for its fifth year running will bring 28 young cinema-lovers to Venice, carried out in collaboration with the European Parliament's LUX Prize, Europa Cinemas and Cineuropa. A People's Choice Award, up for grabs for the first time this year from the main sponsor BNL-BNP Paribas Group, will also be selected by licensed viewers at the Venice Film Festival.

Two big names will open and close the 2014 Venice Days, out of competition: opening, South Korean director Kim Ki-duk with the noir-thriller One on One (world premiere – read the news); closing, Spanish Alex De La Iglesia with his documentary movie about the great Argentinian football champion Messi [+see also:
trailer
interview: Álex de la Iglesia
film profile]. Among the 12 films in competition, two Italian titles feature: I nostri ragazzi (The Dinner) by Ivano De Matteo (read the news) and Patria (Homeland) by Felice Farina, thirty years of Italian history, from the kidnapping and assassination of Aldo Moro to the present day, tales mixing fiction and real footage.

Featuring in competition also are Retour à Ithaque (Return to Ithaca) by French winner of the Palm d’Or Laurent Cantet, his fellow countryman Christophe Honoré with Métamorphoses, They Have Escaped by JP Valkeapää (Finland, Netherlands), and then another Israeli black comedy on euthanasia, The Farewell Party by Sharon Maymon and Tal Granit, and three first works (among the total of six that are scheduled): Between 10 and 12 by Peter Hoogendoorn (Belgium, France Netherlands), the protagonists are two policemen charged with giving bad news to a family, British The Goob by Guy Myhill, unveiled as a thrilling Texan country western, and French Les Nuits d’été (Summer Nights) by Mario Fanfani, about male cross-dressing in the 50s and 60s.

In Special Events: the omnibus film 9x10 Ninety, with nine directors, among which feature Alice Rohrwacher, Claudio Giovannesi, Giovanni Piperno, Costanza Quatriglio, who each made a ten minute film with images from the Archivio Luce (the educational cinematographic union Archive), which turns 90 years this year; The Show MAS Go On by Rä di Martino, half-way between a documentary, a musical and video art about the famous “magazzini del popolo” (popular stores) in Rome, and The Lack [+see also:
trailer
interview: Iacopo Bedogni (Masbedo)
film profile] by Masbedo (read the news).