It starts again tonight: The Venice Film Festival opens. Oscar winners Pedro Almodóvar and Penélope Cruz are expected to attend the evening gala.
Venice – The 78th Venice International Film Festival opens this Wednesday with the new drama by Pedro Almodóvar. In the film “Madres paralelas”, the Spanish director tells of two women who became pregnant unintentionally.
Oscar winner Penélope Cruz took on one of the leading roles. It was still unclear whether the Spaniard would come to the opening gala in the evening with her husband, the actor Javier Bardem.
Almodóvar’s film “Madres paralelas” is also the first entry to compete for the main prizes in this year’s competition. In the following days, 20 more works will enter the race for the Golden Lion for the best film. These include the drama “Sundown” with Tim Roth and Charlotte Gainsbourg, the satire “Competencia oficial” with Penélope Cruz and Antonio Banderas and the brother drama “The Power of the Dog” by New Zealander Jane Campion.
Hollywood actress Maggie Gyllenhaal is also making her directorial debut with “The Lost Daughter”. There is no German competition entry. However, “Spencer” is a German co-production and largely shot in Germany. In it, Kristen Stewart embodies the legendary Princess Di. The film focuses on a few days when Diana decides to separate from the British heir to the throne, Prince Charles.
In addition to competition, some major Hollywood productions are also celebrating their premieres: “Halloween Kills” continues the successful horror film series with Jamie Lee Curtis, while Ridley Scott brings his action spectacle “The Last Duel” with Matt Damon and Adam Driver to the lagoon city. “Dune” is also eagerly awaited, a science fiction film with top-class stars such as Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin and Stellan Skarsgård.
The Venice Film Festival is the oldest in the world. In recent years, works have been shown there that later triumphed at the Oscars, such as “Shape of Water” and “Nomadland”. This year the main prizes will be awarded on September 11th by an international jury chaired by the South Korean Oscar winner Bong Joon Ho (“Parasite”). dpa
