28/08/2006

In the undeclared media war (that is, of course, healthy competition) against Venice, the capital's new Rome Film Festival gained a point in its favour the other day, with the announced presence of Nicole Kidman. But now the curtain rises on the Lagoon and the parade of stars of the Venice International Festival would make even Cannes envious.

On Wednesday, Mistress of Ceremonies Isabella Ferrari will open the 63rd edition of the Venice Festival with Brian De Palma's The Black Dahlia and the first to walk down the red carpet will be Josh Artnett, Scarlett Johansson, Aaron Heckhart and Hilary Swank.

On Thursday, Ben Affleck will take on the flash of the photographer's cameras along with Sandra Bullock, Gwyneth Paltrow, Isabella Rossellini and Sigourney Weaver. Nicolas Cage will arrive in Venice on September 1, the same day that Juliette Binoche will present Quelques jour en septembre [+see also:
trailer
film profile].

On the 5th, Hollywood stars Sharon Stone, Anthony Hopkins and Demi Moore will fly in (although Moore's presence is not yet certain). European stars include Oscar winner Rachel Weisz and Isabelle Huppert, the lead in Nue propriété [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]. Also expected are Meryl Streep, Juliette Moore, Jeremy Irons, Adrien Brody and Val Kilmer, who stars in the Polish western Summer Love [+see also:
trailer
film profile]. Italy's Laura Morante will accompany Alain Resnais on September 2 for Private Fears in Public Places [+see also:
trailer
film profile].

Beyond the star system, however, it would seem that this year Venice is seeking to take back its role as a place for experimentation, even though “we must always navigate between culture and the market”, according to Artistic Director Marco Müller, who says that the selection process was easier than usual this year because "there were the right films". It was therefore not difficult “to adhere to our mission, that is, to be an art exhibit and not a festival”.

It is no coincidence that Müller stresses the word “art”: the 62 titles that will be presented on the Lido from August 30 to September 9 were chosen with "passion and clarity" and include many established filmmakers, such as De Palma, Manoel De Oliveira, Stephen Frears, Benôit Jaquot, Resnais, Gianni Amelio, Oliver Stone and Darren Aronofsky. Debut filmmakers are not lacking either, and there will be 11 first films.

But when the curtain closes on this 63rd edition, the Lido will, unfortunately, be left with financial and logistical problems, and the new 100m Euro Palazzo del Cinema will be difficult to realize for lack of funds, even if the new government has promised to help. “At Venice, I will meet with Mayor Massimo Cacciari and the presidents of the region and province”, said Minister of Culture Francesco Rutelli. “The Rome Film Festival is finding mostly private support and I hope that there will be much more support for the Venice Film Festival as well, from the production and private sector. The festival has already moved forward but it can further improve if the production forces are there, with our full support.”

(Translated from Italian)