The Venice Film Festival has been marked by the COVID-19 pandemic. The result is an astonishing diversity of films in the competition, including a German one.
The Golden Lion is the top prize in VeniceImage: La Biennale di Venezia /ASAC
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From Marx to Greta: Highlights of the 2020 Venice Film Festival
Venice is the first major film festival to take place during the pandemic. Fewer films from Hollywood are represented, so the selection is more diverse than usual.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/C. Onorati
Italian infidelity drama opens the festival
For the first time in more than a decade, an Italian film receives the honor of opening the Venice International Film Festival: The drama "Lacci" will be screened out of competition and depicts the story of a marriage threatened by infidelity. Directed by Daniele Luchetti, it is based on the 2014 novel of the same name by Domenico Starnone.
Image: Biennale/Gianni Fiorito
4 titles from Italy in the run
This year's film festival on Venice's barrier island of Lido feels distinctly Italian: Four of the 18 films competing for the top prize of Golden Lion are from the country. For example, "Padrenostro" (pictured here) by director Claudio Noce is about the political terrorism and violence that shook Italy in the 1970s, told from perspective of a child.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo
Germany's antifa in the spotlight
A German film is competing for the Golden Lion in Venice: "And Tomorrow the Entire World" by director Julia von Heinz is about the young anti-fascist activist Luisa, who uses increasingly radical means of defense against society's shift to the right. Luisa is played by rising star Mala Emde, shown in the image here.
Image: La Biennale di Venezia
A German-Polish production in the run
His hands seem to work wonders: In "Never Gonna Snow Again," actor Alec Utgoff plays the role of Ukrainian migrant Zhenia, who works as a masseur for the Warsaw upper class and develops into a kind of guru for the unhappy rich. The Polish contender in Venice is also in the race for the Oscar in the category best international feature film.
Image: LavaFilms MatchFactory Productions
Historical biopic: 'Miss Marx'
In recent years, there has been strong criticism of the lack of equality in the film nominations, but this year, eight of the 18 films are by women directors. One of them is Susanna Nicchiarelli's historical biopic "Miss Marx" about the life of Karl Marx' youngest daughter, Eleanor Marx. The political activist is played by Romola Garai.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/E. Scarpa
Hollywood's contribution: 'Nomadland'
"Nomadland" tells the tale of a woman in her 60s who loses everything during the Great Recession of the 2000s and ends up traveling in a van through the western United States as a kind of modern nomad. It is a film with a top-class cast, with lead character Fern played by the two-time Oscar winner Frances McDormand. Parallel to Venice, the film is also celebrating its premiere in Toronto.
Streaming servicers and film festivals — a tricky business. The Cannes Film Festival banned Netflix, Amazon and other such productions, but they are welcome in Venice. Streamer Hulu is presenting its documentary "Greta." Director Nathan Grossman (2nd from left) accompanied climate activist Greta Thunberg (2nd from right) for months — even during her crossing of the Atlantic in August 2019.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/B. Hermann
Cate Blanchett leads the jury
This year's jury is chaired by Cate Blanchett, who was awarded Best Actress in Venice in 2007 for her role in "I'm Not There." Along with her, directors Veronika Franz, Joanna Hogg and Christian Petzold, actors Matt Dillon and Ludivine Sagnier and author Nicola Lagioia will decide which film will receive the coveted Golden Lion.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/J. Tallis
Honorary prize for Ann Hui and Tilda Swinton
The first prize winners were announced before the festival's start on September 2: The Chinese actress and director Ann Hui and the British Oscar award winner Tilda Swinton were each awarded the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement. This honorary award has been in existence since 1970, when the first winner was none other than Orson Welles. (Adapted by Louisa Schaefer)
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The Venice International Film Festival — called the "Biennale di Venezia" in Italian — has always been a highlight of the annual cinema season. However, for the 77th edition this year, what is grabbing a lot of attention is the fact that the major event taking place on the Lido, the Venetian lagoon's famous barrier island, is the first major film festival to be held somewhat "normally" again since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
For festival director Alberto Barbera, the decision to avoid holding the world's oldest film festival virtually or to cancel it completely — as was the case with the Cannes Film Festival— is a "sign of confidence and concrete support" for the film industry.
However, in consultation with health safety authorities, there are new measures in place: Tickets are now only available in advance and online, but the number of screenings has been increased in the hope that this will improve the distribution of viewers.
Two new outdoor cinemas were built to accommodate the greater number of screenings. Before admission, the temperature of each visitor is measured; within a cinema, viewers must wear face masks and only every second seat may be occupied.
Honoring women's achievements: Cate Blanchett, as celebrated actress and jury presidentImage: Reuters/B. Tessier
The program has also been streamlined. The "Venice Classics" series, which screens restored film classics, has been moved to the "Il Cinema Ritrovato" festival in Bologna, while the "Sconfini" series — which highlights more experimental films — has been suspended for the time being. In addition, the "Venice VR Expanded" competition, launched in 2017, will be held online to honor the best contributions in virtual reality. Still, the "heart of the festival" has been rescued, says Barbera.
Italy trumps Hollywood
At the heart of the festival are the films competing for the Golden Lion for best film. There are 18 this year — only slightly fewer than in previous years, but the selection feels more diverse than usual. There are remarkably few American productions on the list, as many major Hollywood productions have postponed their cinema release due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chloe Zhao's road drama Nomadland is the only film with an A-list Hollywood star: Two-time Oscar winner Frances McDormand (Fargo, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) plays a woman in her 60s who has lost everything in the Great Recession of the 2000s and travels through the western United States as a modern nomad.
On the other hand, Italian cinema takes centerstage: Four of the 18 candidates for the Golden Lion are from Italy, and the film Lacci by director Daniele Luchetti (not in the competition) will open the festival.
In addition, considerably more films by female directors are in the running. There has been major criticism of the lack of equality in recent years, so it is refreshing to discover that, this year, 8 of 18 films were directed by women. The selection was made "solely on the basis of quality and not as a result of a gender quota," emphasized festival director Barbera.
