The 77th edition of the Venice Film Festival will take place September 2-12 with some minor changes to comply with Covid-19 protocols.
The festival’s programming team announced that they’ve lowered the number of films in the Official Selection, although not by much. Roughly 50 to 55 feature films will be shown all together; 20 of which have been selected for the main competition (Venzia 77) which Cate Blanchett will preside over. The competitive sections Venezia 77 and Orizzonti, as well as the non-competitive sections, Out of Competition and Biennale College of Cinema, will maintain their usual procedures and format. Screening will take place in theaters where they have been traditionally held on the Lido, and all the necessary safety measures will be adopted at the events.
The Venice Classics section will take place separately as part of the Cinema Ritrovato Festival August 25-31 in Bologna. The Venice Virtual Reality competition, however, will screen entirely online. For further precaution, there will be two outdoor arenas installed for the festival in the Giardini della Biennale and in the skating rink on the Lido, where the majority of screenings for non-industry moviegoers will take place.
I am extremely pleased that the Biennale Cinema can be held with a minimum reduction of films and sections. Without forgetting the countless victims of these past few months to whom due tribute shall be paid, the first international festival following the forced interruption dictated by the pandemic becomes the meaningful celebration of the re-opening we all looked forward to, and a message of concrete optimism for the entire world of cinema which has suffered greatly from this crisis.
Alberto Barbera, Artistic Director
Italian actress Anna Foglietta will host the opening and closing ceremonies for the festival, including announcing the winners for the Golden Lion and other awards. Further details will be announced during a press conference on July 28th. Find out more about the Venice Film Festival.