Since 2012, the Venezia Classici of the Venice International Film Festival has been presenting the world premieres of a selection of the best restorations of classic films conducted over the previous year by film libraries, cultural institutions and productions all over the world. Curated by Alberto Barbera in collaboration with Stefano Francia di Celle, Venezia Classici also presents a selection of documentaries about cinema and its filmmakers. The Jury, chaired by Italian director Salvatore Mereu (Three Steps Dancing, Pretty Butterflies), is composed of 26 cinema history students – nominated by their professors – from Italian universities, DAMS performing arts courses, and Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, and will award the VENEZIA CLASSICI AWARD for the BEST RESTORED FILM and the BEST DOCUMENTARY ON CINEMA.
The numerous restored masterpieces in the Venezia Classici section of the 75th Venice International Film Festival include: The Night of the Shooting Stars (1982) by Paolo and Vittorio Taviani, Il posto (1961) by Ermanno Olmi, The Ascent (1976) by Larisa Shepitko, The Place Without Limits (1977) by Arturo Ripstein, The Brick and the Mirror (1964) by Ebrahim Golestan, Adieu Philippine (1962) by Jacques Roziers, Last Year in Marienbad (1961, Golden Lion at the Venice International Film Festival) by Alain Resnais, Some Like It Hot (1959) by Billy Wilder, Street of Shame (1956, Special Mention at the Venice International Film Festival) by Kenji Mizoguchi, The Night Porter (1974) by Liliana Cavani and Love, Thy Name Be Sorrow (1962) by Tomu Uchida.
The 75th Venice International Film Festival will be held at the Lido from August 29 to September 8, 2018; it is directed by Alberto Barbera and organized by the Biennale chaired by Paolo Baratta.
The list of the films selected for the Venezia Classici section of the 75th Festival:
VENEZIA CLASSICI
THEY LIVE [ESSI VIVONO]
by JOHN CARPENTER (USA, 1988, 94’, COL.)
restoration: Studiocanal
IL PORTIERE DI NOTTE (THE NIGHT PORTER)
by LILIANA CAVANI (Italy, 1974, 120’, COL.)
restoration: CSC-Cineteca Nazionale and Istituto Luce – Cinecittà
THE NAKED CITY [LA CITTÀ NUDA]
by JULES DASSIN (USA, 1948, 96’, B/W)
restoration: Brook Productions and Master Licensing
KHESHT O AYENEH (THE BRICK AND THE MIRROR)
by EBRAHIM GOLESTAN (Iran, 1964, 130’, B/W)
restoration: Ecran Noir production (Mitra Farahani) and Ebrahim Golestan in collaboration with Cineteca di Bologna
AKASEN CHITAI (STREET OF SHAME) [LA STRADA DELLA VERGOGNA]
by KENJI MIZOGUCHI (Japan, 1956, 86’, B/W)
restoration: Kadokawa Corporation
IL POSTO
by ERMANNO OLMI (Italy, 1961, 95’, B/W)
restoration: Cineteca di Bologna and Titanus
L’ANNÉE DERNIÈRE À MARIENBAD (LAST YEAR IN MARIENBAD) [L’ANNO SCORSO A MARIENBAD]
by ALAIN RESNAIS (France, Italy, 1961, 94’, B/W)
restoration: Studiocanal with the support of Centre National du Cinéma et de l’image animée and Chanel
EL LUGAR SIN LÍMITES (THE PLACE WITHOUT LIMITS) [IL LUOGO SENZA LIMITI]
by ARTURO RIPSTEIN (Mexico, 1977, 110’, COL.)
restoration: Cineteca Nacional México and Imcine
ADIEU PHILIPPINE [DESIDERI NEL SOLE]
by JACQUES ROZIERS (France, Italy, 1962, 103’, B/W)
restoration: Cinémathèque française and A17 with the support of Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée. In collaboration with Les Archives audiovisuelles de Monaco, La Cinémathèque suisse and Extérieur Nuit.
VOSKHOZHDENIYE (THE ASCENT) [L’ASCESA]
by LARISA SHEPITKO (Russia, 1976, 110’, B/W)
restoration: Mosfilm (producer of the restoration Karen Shakhnazarov)
THE KILLERS [CONTRATTO PER UCCIDERE]
by DON SIEGEL (USA, 1964, 102’, COL.)
restoration: Universal Pictures
THE KILLERS [I GANGSTERS]
by ROBERT SIODMAK (USA, 1946, 95’, B/W)
restoration: Universal Pictures
LA NOTTE DI SAN LORENZO (THE NIGHT OF THE SHOOTING STARS)
by PAOLO E VITTORIO TAVIANI (Italy, 1982, 107’, COL.)
restoration: CSC-Cineteca Nazionale and Istituto Luce – Cinecittà
KOI YA KOI NASUNA KOI (LOVE, THY NAME BE SORROW aka THE MAD FOX) [LA VOLPE FOLLE]
by TOMU UCHIDA (Japan, 1962, 109’, COL.)
restoration: Toei Company, Ltd.
MORTE A VENEZIA (DEATH IN VENICE)
by LUCHINO VISCONTI (Italy, France, USA, 1971, 130’, COL.)
restoration: Cineteca di Bologna and Istituto Luce – Cinecittà in collaboration with Warner Bros. and The Criterion Collection
NOTHING SACRED [NULLA SUL SERIO]
by WILLIAM A. WELLMAN (USA, 1937, 74’, COL.)
restoration: The Museum of Modern Art
SOME LIKE IT HOT [A QUALCUNO PIACE CALDO]
by BILLY WILDER (USA, 1959, 121′, B/W)
restoration: Park Circus in collaboration with Metro Goldwyn Mayer and The Criterion Collection
The Venezia Classici section will also feature the presentation of a selection of documentaries about cinema and its filmmakers. The complete list of the section will be announced during the press conference presenting the program of the Venice Film Festival, on Wednesday, July 25th at 11 a.m. in Rome (Cinema Moderno).
Salvatore Mereu – Biography
Salvatore Mereu was born in Dorgali in 1965. After graduating in film directing from the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia in Rome, he made several short films including Notte rumena (1996), Miguel (1999), Il mare (2004). Starting with his first feature-length film, Ballo a tre passi (Three Steps Dancing, 2003), distinguished by its particular four-part structure, each corresponding to one season of the year, he explores the relationship between tradition and modernity in his native land, Sardinia. For Ballo a tre passi, Mereu won the Settimana della Critica award in Venice in 2003, as well as the David di Donatello and the Ciak d’Oro as best emerging director. He was also nominated for three Nastro d’argento awards including Best Screenplay. His second film, Sonetàula (2008), was presented at the Berlin Film Festival in the Panorama section, and was awarded the Globo d’oro of the Foreign Press, as well as the FIPA d’Or at the Biarritz Film Festival for Best Screenplay. He returned to the Venice Film Festival in 2010 with Tajabone, set among the young students of the middle schools on the outskirts of Cagliari, and in 2012 participated in the Orizzonti section with Bellas mariposas (Pretty Butterflies), from the eponymous book by Sergio Atzeni, the story of two adolescent girls who live in a working-class neighbourhood in Cagliari. The film won him the Schermi di Qualità award at the Venice Film Festival, the Big Screen Award at the Rotterdam Festival. For the same film, he won the Premio Suso Cecchi D’Amico for Best Screenplay and the Premio Tonino Guerra for Best Screenplay at the Bif&st. In 2013, again for the Venice Film Festival, he made the collective film Venezia 70 – Future Reloaded along with 70 directors from around the world, to celebrate the Festival’s 70th edition. For years he has alternated his work as a director with his teaching of image education. He has taught film in various schools around the island, producing several short films with his students (Il mare, La vita adesso, Scegliere per crescere, Futuro prossimo), selected for the most important Italian and international film festivals. In recent years, in collaboration with CELCAM, he has taught a course in film direction and screenwriting at the Department of Humanities and Philosophy at the University of Cagliari. Since 2004, he has been a member of the Accademia del Cinema Italiano.