Chinese director Zhang Yimou will be awarded the 2018 Jaeger-LeCoultre Glory to the Filmmaker of the 75th Venice International Film Festival. The award, dedicated to a figure who has left a particularly original mark on contemporary cinema, will be conferred on Zhang Yimou on September 6 2018 in the Sala Grande (Palazzo del Cinema), before the world premiere screening Out of Competition of his new film Ying (Shadow).
Regarding this acknowledgment, the Director of the Venice Film Festival Alberto Barbera has stated: “Zhang Yimou is not only one of the most important directors in contemporary cinema, but with his eclectic production, he has represented the evolution of global language of film, and at the same time, the exceptional growth of Chinese cinema. Zhang Yimou has been a pioneer thanks to his capacity to translate authors, stories and the richness of Chinese culture in general into a unique and unmistakable visual style. His unforgettable debut, Red Sorghum (1987), adapted from Nobel award winner Mo Yan, brought him international recognition as one of the most important directors of the Fifth Generation. Since then, his talent in combining the elegance of form with a universal type of narrative structure has won him important acknowledgments, including two Golden Lions for The Story of Qiu Ju (1992) and Not one less (1999). At the turn of the century, the martial arts film Hero (2002) – his third nomination for an Oscar as best foreign-language film – established him as an icon of the Chinese cinema at the global level, and won him the direction of the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games in Beijing (2008), followed by a series of major productions with International film stars. With Shadow (2018), to be presented in its world premiere screening at the 75th Venice International Film Festival, Zhang Yimou returns to martial arts films with the formal elegance and remarkable inventiveness that has always distinguished his cinema”.
Ying (Shadow) is a martial arts (wuxia) film about the conflict between two feudal groups. In China, during the period of the Three Kingdoms (220-280 circa A.D.), an exiled king and his people develop a plot to regain control of their land. The events are told from the points of view of the king, his sister, his commander, the women trapped in the royal palace and a common citizen.
Four times in Competition at the Venice Film Festival – in 1991 with Raise the Red Lantern, in 1992 with The Story of Qiu Ju, in 1997 with Keep Cool and in 1999 with Not One Less – winner of two Golden Lions, respectively in 1992 and in 1999, a Silver Lion in 1991 and a Coppa Volpi for Best Actress (Gong Li, in 1992 for The Story of Qiu Ju), Zhang Yimou is the only director to have won all the most important prizes of the Venice Film Festival in less than ten years.
Jaeger-LeCoultre is for the fourteenth consecutive year a sponsor of the Venice International Film Festival, and for the twelfth of the Glory to the Filmmaker award. The prize has been awarded in past years to Takeshi Kitano (2007), Abbas Kiarostami (2008), Agnès Varda (2008), Sylvester Stallone (2009), Mani Ratnam (2010), Al Pacino (2011), Spike Lee (2012), Ettore Scola (2013), James Franco (2014), Brian De Palma (2015), Amir Naderi (2016), Stephen Frears (2017).
The 75th Venice International Film Festival will be held on the Lido from August 29th to September 8th 2018, directed by Alberto Barbera and organized by the Biennale chaired by Paolo Baratta.
Venice International Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is organized by La Biennale di Venezia. The aim of the Festival is to raise awareness and promote international cinema in all its forms as art, entertainment and as an industry, in a spirit of freedom and dialogue. The Festival also organizes retrospectives and tributes to major figures as a contribution towards a better understanding of the history of cinema.
Venice International Film Festival started in 1932 and takes place in Venice, Italy
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Chinese Director Zhang Yimou to Receive 2018 Jaeger-LeCoultre Glory to the Filmmaker Award of Venice Film Festival
Chinese director Zhang Yimou will be awarded the 2018 Jaeger-LeCoultre Glory to the Filmmaker of the 75th Venice International Film Festival. The award, dedicated to a figure who has left a particularly original mark on contemporary cinema, will be conferred on Zhang Yimou on September 6 2018 in the Sala Grande (Palazzo del Cinema), before the world premiere screening Out of Competition of his new film Ying (Shadow).
Regarding this acknowledgment, the Director of the Venice Film Festival Alberto Barbera has stated: “Zhang Yimou is not only one of the most important directors in contemporary cinema, but with his eclectic production, he has represented the evolution of global language of film, and at the same time, the exceptional growth of Chinese cinema. Zhang Yimou has been a pioneer thanks to his capacity to translate authors, stories and the richness of Chinese culture in general into a unique and unmistakable visual style. His unforgettable debut, Red Sorghum (1987), adapted from Nobel award winner Mo Yan, brought him international recognition as one of the most important directors of the Fifth Generation. Since then, his talent in combining the elegance of form with a universal type of narrative structure has won him important acknowledgments, including two Golden Lions for The Story of Qiu Ju (1992) and Not one less (1999). At the turn of the century, the martial arts film Hero (2002) – his third nomination for an Oscar as best foreign-language film – established him as an icon of the Chinese cinema at the global level, and won him the direction of the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games in Beijing (2008), followed by a series of major productions with International film stars. With Shadow (2018), to be presented in its world premiere screening at the 75th Venice International Film Festival, Zhang Yimou returns to martial arts films with the formal elegance and remarkable inventiveness that has always distinguished his cinema”.
Ying (Shadow) is a martial arts (wuxia) film about the conflict between two feudal groups. In China, during the period of the Three Kingdoms (220-280 circa A.D.), an exiled king and his people develop a plot to regain control of their land. The events are told from the points of view of the king, his sister, his commander, the women trapped in the royal palace and a common citizen.
Four times in Competition at the Venice Film Festival – in 1991 with Raise the Red Lantern, in 1992 with The Story of Qiu Ju, in 1997 with Keep Cool and in 1999 with Not One Less – winner of two Golden Lions, respectively in 1992 and in 1999, a Silver Lion in 1991 and a Coppa Volpi for Best Actress (Gong Li, in 1992 for The Story of Qiu Ju), Zhang Yimou is the only director to have won all the most important prizes of the Venice Film Festival in less than ten years.
Jaeger-LeCoultre is for the fourteenth consecutive year a sponsor of the Venice International Film Festival, and for the twelfth of the Glory to the Filmmaker award. The prize has been awarded in past years to Takeshi Kitano (2007), Abbas Kiarostami (2008), Agnès Varda (2008), Sylvester Stallone (2009), Mani Ratnam (2010), Al Pacino (2011), Spike Lee (2012), Ettore Scola (2013), James Franco (2014), Brian De Palma (2015), Amir Naderi (2016), Stephen Frears (2017).
The 75th Venice International Film Festival will be held on the Lido from August 29th to September 8th 2018, directed by Alberto Barbera and organized by the Biennale chaired by Paolo Baratta.
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World Premiere of DRIVEN by Nick Hamm to Close 75th Venice International Film Festival
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Driven[/caption]
The world premiere of Driven directed by Nick Hamm (The Journey, Killing Bono) is the closing film, Out of Competition, of the 75th Venice International Film Festival on Saturday, September 8th in the Sala Grande of the Palazzo del Cinema at the Lido di Venezia.
Inspired by true events, Driven is a wickedly comedic look at a bromance gone bad. Set in the opulence of early 1980s California, the story follows the meteoric rise of John DeLorean, and his iconic DeLorean Motor Company, through his friendship with charming ex-con turned FBI informant, Jim Hoffman.
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Driven[/caption]
The cast of Driven is led by Lee Pace (Guardians of the Galaxy, The Hobbit) as motoring engineer and designer John DeLorean, Jason Sudeikis (Downsizing), as Jim Hoffman, DeLorean’s friend and con-man tuned FBI informant, Judy Greer (Ant-Man) as Hoffman’s strong-willed wife Ellen and Corey Stoll (House of Cards, Midnight in Paris) as ambitious FBI agent Benedict Tissa.
Nick Hamm declared: “Venice is an inspiring festival with an incredible audience. I am both honoured and delighted to be invited back to share this crazy, untold story.”
The 75th Venice International Film Festival directed by Alberto Barbera and organized by the Biennale di Venezia, chaired by Paolo Baratta, will take place August 29 to September 8, 2018.
Driven
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Driven[/caption]
It’s 1974 and Jim Hoffman (Jason Sudeikis) is your average family man—father of two, hard-working pilot, doting husband to Ellen (Judy Greer). Oh, he’s also an occasional drug smuggler. And when Jim is caught using his family vacation to smuggle cocaine into the US, ambitious FBI agent Benedict J. Tisa (Corey Stoll) sees an opportunity to earn a major victory for the Bureau by using Jim to entrap his elusive supplier.
Starting over in an affluent San Diego neighbourhood on the government’s payroll, Jim’s duties as a confidential informant get side-tracked when he befriends his famous neighbour, motoring engineer and designer John DeLorean (Lee Pace). Bedazzled by DeLorean’s charm and vision, Jim soon finds himself in DeLorean’s inner circle at the launch of a new enterprise that promises to revolutionize the American motor industry.
However, when DeLorean’s dream hits the buffers with his company set to go belly-up, and Tisa’s nowhere near getting his guy, Jim suddenly finds himself caught between two desperate men who are willing to do anything to succeed.
Nick Hamm
Nick Hamm is a BAFTA award-winning director and producer whose career extends across feature films, television, and theatre. Hamm began his career as resident director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, focusing on both Shakespeare and contemporary plays before moving into film. After winning a BAFTA for the Chekhov adaptation THE HARMFULNESS OF TOBACCO, starring Edward Fox, Hamm went on to direct the BBC hit series PLAY ON ONE, starring Catherine Zeta- Jones and Colin Firth; and ITV’s highly acclaimed RIK MAYALL PRESENTS, starring Helena Bonham Carter. Hamm’s feature films include: TALK OF ANGELS for Miramax, starring Vincent Perez and Polly Walker; the romantic comedy THE VERY THOUGHT OF YOU for Film Four/ Miramax written by Peter Morgan and starring Joseph Fiennes and Rufus Sewell; the cult movie hit THE HOLE starring Thora Birch and Keira Knightley for Pathé; and the psychological horror film, GODSEND, starring Robert De Niro for Lionsgate Films. In 2010, Hamm directed Paramount Pictures’ indie hit KILLING BONO, starring Ben Barnes, Robert Sheehan, Krysten Ritter and Pete Postlethwaite. Hamm then went on to direct and produce DirecTV and EOne’s US crime thriller ROGUE, starring Thandie Newton, and AT&T’s highly acclaimed half-hour ensemble drama series, FULL CIRCLE, created by Neil LaBute. Returning to film in 2016, Hamm directed THE JOURNEY, an official selection for the 73rd Venice Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival. IM Global’s dramatization of Northern Ireland’s Peace process premiered in 2017, earning acclaim for Timothy Spall’s take on Ian Paisley, and an IFTA award for Colm Meaney’s lead performance as Martin McGuiness. In fall of 2017, Hamm directed DRIVEN—the story of FBI informant, Jim Hoffman, and celebrity CEO John DeLorean’s friendship during the rise and fall of his auto empire, resulting in the most infamous scandal of its time. DRIVEN stars Jason Sudeikis, Lee Pace, Judy Greer and Corey Stoll.
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Actress Vanessa Redgrave to Receive Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at Venice International Film Festival
Actress Vanessa Redgrave will be awarded the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 75th Venice International Film Festival (29 August – 8 September, 2018). Vanessa Redgrave joins director David Cronenberg, who will also receive the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 75th Venice Film Festival.
Vanessa Redgrave declared: “I am astonished and especially delighted to hear that I will be awarded by the Venice Film Festival for a life’s work in film. Last summer I was filming in Venice in The Aspern Papers. Many many years ago I filmed La vacanza in the marshes of the Veneto. My character spoke every word in the Venetian dialect. I bet I am the only non-Italian actress to act an entire role in Venetian dialect! Thank you a million dear Festival! “.
Alberto Barbera declared: “Unanimously considered one of today’s best actresses, Redgrave’s sensitive, infinitely faceted performances ideally render complex and often controversial characters. Gifted with a natural elegance, innate seductive power, and extraordinary talent, she can nonchalantly pass from European art house cinema to lavish Hollywood productions, from the stage to TV sets, each time offering top-quality results. In the sixty years of her professional activity, her performances have displayed authoritativeness and total control over the roles she plays, a boundless and highly sophisticated generosity, and a healthy dose of the courage and fighting spirit which are a hallmark of her compassionate, artistic nature”.
Vanessa Redgrave Biography
Born into a thespian family, nominated six times for an Oscar (she won in 1977 for her performance in Julia), and the winner of a Volpi Cup in Venice in 1994 for Little Odessa, for 60 years, Vanessa Redgrave has been one of the best-loved and most-sought-after actresses of international art house cinema. A stage actress as well, she has won a Tony Award and an Olivier Award for best actress. Among her most recent works, in 2018 she performed in The Aspern Papers by Julian Landais, with Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Joely Richardson; Mrs Lowry & Son by Adrian Noble, with Timothy Spall; and Georgetown by Christoph Waltz, with Annette Bening. In 2017, she directed and starred in Sea Sorrow with Ralph Fiennes and Emma Thompson (produced by Carlo Nero) and she performed at the Young Vic Theatre in The Inheritance by Matthew Lopez, produced by Sonia Friedman and directed by Stephen Daldry. Redgrave was born in London in 1937 and studied acting at London’s Central School of Music and Dance. Her family has a long and glorious tradition in film and on the stage. Her paternal grandfather, Roy Redgrave, was one of Australia’s most famous silent movie actors. Her father, Michael, and her mother, Rachel Kempson, were members of the Old Vic Theater. Her father, in particular, was also a well-known movie actor. Right from an early age, Vanessa was a successful stage actress and she debuted on the silver screen alongside her father in 1958 in the comedy Behind the Mask. She then dedicated herself to theatre and became a member of the Stratford-upon-Avon Theater Company. This is where she met director Tony Richardson, who, in the early 1960s, became her husband and directed her in Shakespeare plays. In 1966, Redgrave returned to the silver screen in Morgan: A Suitable Case for Treatment, by Karel Reisz, which won her the award for best actress at Cannes and her first Oscar nomination. Always in 1966, she performed in Blow-up by Michelangelo Antonioni. The topic of incommunicability, one of the Italian director’s favorites, found a perfect interpreter in that young, enigmatic woman who can express herself almost without speaking. One year later, Joshua Logan brought her to the United States to shoot Camelot, after which Vanessa returned to Europe for two more films directed by Richardson, The Sailor from Gibraltar, and in 1968, The Charge of the Light Brigade. That same year, she portrayed the non-conformist ballerina Isadora Duncan in Isadora (1968) by Karel Reisz (her second Oscar nomination). In 1971, she played the unlucky queen in Mary, Queen of Scots (1971, her third nomination for an Oscar), a nun in The Devils by Ken Russel, and a girl confined in a madhouse in Vacation by Tinto Brass, which stars Franco Nero and was presented at the Venice Film Festival. Vanessa Redgrave won an Oscar for her performance as the brave and headstrong Julia (1977), by Fred Zinnemann. In 1984, James Ivory directed her in The Bostonians (another Oscar nomination) and in 1985 she played the lonely teacher in Wetherby (1985) by David Hare. She received her sixth Oscar nomination for her portrayal of sensitive Ruth Wilcox in Howard’s End (1992), once again by James Ivory. In 1994, she received the Volpi Cup in Venice for Little Odessa by James Gray. She played the bitter protagonist in Mrs Dalloway (1997) by Marleen Gorris and in 2007 she starred in Atonement by Joe Wright, the opening film at the Venice Film Festival that year.
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Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga’s A STAR IS BORN to World Premiere at Venice International Film Festival
A Star is Born, the much-anticipated directorial debut of four-time Oscar® nominee Bradley Cooper and feature film debut of award-winning actor and Oscar® -nominated musical artist Lady Gaga, will have its out-of-competition world premiere at the 75th Venice International Film Festival.
The premiere screening of A Star is Born, which was also co-written and produced by Cooper, will be held on Friday, August 31st, in the Sala Grande at the Palazzo del Cinema on the Venice Lido. The 75th Venice International Film Festival will take place at the Lido from August 29 to September 8, 2018; it is directed by Alberto Barbera and organized by la Biennale di Venezia, chaired by Paolo Baratta. Slated for release beginning October 5, 2018, the film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros.
In this new take on the powerful love story, Cooper plays seasoned musician Jackson Maine, who discovers—and falls in love with—struggling artist Ally (Gaga). She has just about given up on her dream to make it big as a singer until Jack coaxes her into the spotlight. But even as Ally’s career takes off, the personal side of their relationship is breaking down, as Jack fights an ongoing battle with his own internal demons.
A Star is Born features original songs performed live on-camera by Cooper and Gaga, who wrote a number of tracks together and in collaboration with such musical artists as Lukas Nelson, Jason Isbell and Mark Ronson. The film’s ensemble cast also includes Andrew Dice Clay, with Dave Chappelle and Sam Elliott.
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World Premiere of Damien Chazelle’s FIRST MAN Starring Ryan Gosling to Open 75th Venice International Film Festival [Trailer]
First Man, directed by Damien Chazelle (La La Land, Whiplash) and starring Ryan Gosling, Jason Clarke and Claire Foy, will World Premiere as the opening night film, in Competition, of the 75th Venice International Film Festival (August 29 – September 8, 2018).
Festival director Alberto Barbera declared: “It is a true privilege to present the world premiere of Damien Chazelle’s new, highly-awaited film. It is a very personal, original and compelling piece of work, wonderfully unexpected within the context of present day epic films, and a confirmation of the great talent of one of the most important contemporary directors of American cinema. Our gratitude goes to Universal Pictures for premiering First Man at the 75th Venice Film Festival.”
Chazelle declared:”I am humbled by Venice’s invitation and am thrilled to return. It feels especially poignant to share this news so close to the moon landing’s anniversary. I eagerly look forward to bringing the film to the festival.”
First Man will be shown in its world premiere screening on Wednesday August 29th, in the Sala Grande at the Palazzo del Cinema on the Lido di Venezia.
On the heels of their six-time Academy Award®-winning smash, La La Land, Oscar®-winning director Damien Chazelle and star Ryan Gosling reteam for Universal Pictures’ First Man, the riveting story of NASA’s mission to land a man on the moon, focusing on Neil Armstrong and the years 1961-1969. A visceral, first-person account, based on the book by James R. Hansen, the movie will explore the sacrifices and the cost—on Armstrong and on the nation—of one of the most dangerous missions in history.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9Y7DTCn7Cc
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Classic Silent Film THE GOLEM (1920) for Pre-Opening of Venice International Film Festival
The silent film classic The Golem – How He Came Into The World (Der Golem – Wie er in die Welt kam, 1920), written and directed by Paul Wegener, is the film chosen for the Pre-opening event of the 75th Venice International Film Festival of the Biennale di Venezia, to be shown in the Sala Darsena (Palazzo del Cinema) on the Lido on Tuesday August 28th.
The Golem – How He Came Into The World will be screened from a new digital copy made from the original negative that was thought to have been lost, restored in 4K and supervised by the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung in Wiesbaden (Germany) and by the Cinémathèque Royale de Belgique (Cinematek) in Brussels, to be shown in its world premiere screening. The digital restoration was done by Immagine ritrovata in Bologna.
The screening of The Golem – How He Came Into The World will be scored with original music by maestro Admir Shkurtaj, commissioned by La Biennale di Venezia, and performed live by the Mesimèr Ensemble wth members: Hersjana Matmuja (soprano), Giorgio Distante (Bb trumpet, midi trumpet), Pino Basile (cupafon – a set of friction drums, percussions, ocarina), Vanessa Sotgiù (synthesizer, piano), Iacopo Conoci (cello), Admir Shkurtaj (conductor, electronics, accordion, piano).
The 75th Venice International Film Festival will be held on the Lido from August 29th to September 8th 2018, directed by Alberto Barbera and organized by La Biennale chaired by Paolo Baratta.
The Golem – How He Came Into The World by Paul Wegener
Set in ancient Prague of the 16th century Der Golem – Wie er in die Welt kam (1920) recounts the Jewish tale of the clay-made creature brought to life by a rabbi’s occult ritual. Foreseeing the upcoming expulsion of the Jews from the city, Rabbi Löw (Albert Steinrück) creates and awakes the mythical Golem in order to protect his people. Through a turn of events the Golem saves the emperor’s (Otto Gebühr) life, convincing him to lift the ban. But due to a jealous servant (Ernst Deutsch) and his selfish plans the Golem runs out of control and turns against his creator… Director Paul Wegener, who also performs the Golem, already adapted the story twice before, once in 1914 and again in 1917. But only his third attempt, driven by great artistic ambition, earned him broader appreciation. Its outstanding mise-en-scène with architecture by Hans Poelzig and cinematography by Karl Freund made Der Golem – Wie er in die Welt kam one of the most recognized and widely-cited films of Weimar Cinema. The film turned out to be a great international success for the German silent film industry with sold out screenings for months – even in the US and China. Its emblematic expressionist style influenced Hollywood’s classical horror movies as well as popular culture up to this day.Notes of Restoration
No German version has survived of the silent classic Der Golem – Wie er in die Welt kam. A photochemical restoration from the 1990s bases on export versions. The discovery of an original negative at the Cinematek (Royal Film Archive of Belgium) gave cause for a new digital 4K restoration of the lost German version by the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung and the Cinematek (Royal Film Archive of Belgium). This negative is edited of different takes than the export version. The takes for two negatives were filmed with two cameras in parallel. The Cinematek`s negative is superior with respect to camera angle and montage. A duplicate negative from the US release version at the George Eastman House proofs that at some point this negative was used for the US market. It is likely that it was originally the negative for German release. As a result of cuts for the US release, several shots were abridged. Today the original negative lacks few scenes. Some of them have survived in the material of the George Eastman House. Another source for completion will be a black-and-white print of the Cinémathèque française made from the export negative. The original negative contains many intertitles in the original Expressionist font that had not been accessible for the previous restoration. Together with the titles that the Filmmuseum München obtained from the Gosfilmofond of Russia, the new restoration will present almost all titles in the famous original font. Digital restoration of the image includes removal of excessive white dirt, defects of the negative that were created by wear and tear, and adjustment of the completing sources as close as possible to the original negative. The digitale restoration is carried out by L`Immagine Ritrovata. Reference for colours and grading is the only known vintage print of this film, an Italian release version from the Fondazione Cineteca Italiana to restore the original gray scale and typical colour effect of the original tinting.The Music
With regard to the original music which will accompany The Golem – How He Came Into The World on the evening of August 28th, maestro Admir Shkurtaj has written: “Scoring Wegener’s film engaged the composer, for the many latent or hidden metaphors that he feels driven to identify and to develop in his own language. And so just as the wise man-wizard Löw uses his own hands to shape out of clay the instrument destined to save the community he feels responsible for, the ensemble of instruments selected for this work was asked to make, by hand, the instruments that would be needed to perform it. The Cupafon used by the percussionist is an original instrument arising from his own research into the stick friction idiophone, an instrument popular in the regions of Puglia and Basilicata; moreover, playing it requires constantly dipping the hands in water, exactly like you would to shape clay. The midi trumpet is also the result of a handcrafting process, even if to make it requires applying electronic circuits onto the instrument. Here the role of water in shaping the sound as the musician plays the Cupafon is again an artisanal process of the electronics. And so on for the rest of the musicians who were asked to make constant reference to the modus operandi of the maker who does not intend to passively follow academic and canonical performing methods. The entire work is based on a non-homogeneous musical vocabulary, which reflects the fleeting nature of form which is inherent to clay; a blend in which one can recognize elements of jazz, of contemporary music, of melodic and rhythmic modules typical of the Eastern European musical tradition and of electronic music. Geometry and the material impression of the buildings in which the scenes are set are mirrored by the concrete sounds recorded in the real environment and played through the synthesizer. The use of electronics, which initially appear unsuited to the scoring of a 1920s silent film, is justified by analogy with the unpredictable nature of the fate of every human creation: once technique has left the hands of its maker, it is destined to live a life of its own. Just as the Golem intends to do. Along with the score and as a complement to it, the performers must follow the photograms of the film to underscore, as if they were additional dynamic markings, its emotional developments. Another analogy that more specifically involves the composer of contemporary music in this scoring effort, is his spasmodic search, just like Rabbi Löw, to give life to an inanimate material which for one is the clay, for the other the sounds. Both must also make an effort to avoid incurring the disapproval of the social context for which, all things told, they both work. The Golem is taunted and feared when he is presented to the public, just like a sound production that seeks to break through established conventions and canons. If the rabbi had used his clay to make vases or pots he would undoubtedly have earned more immediate approval, but he would not have convinced the emperor to save his people. His attempt to overstep the boundaries and to attempt the impossible, is identical in nature to the attempt that a manipulator of sound materials makes in his own field when he tries new combinations and new alchemies in the language of sounds”.Admir Shkurtaj
Admir Shkurtaj (Tirana, 3 December 1969) began his musical studies in 1984-88 at the arts and music high school “Jordan Misja” in Tirana, in Accordion playing. In 1989 he began his studies in composition at the Conservatory, and pursued them in Italy in 1991 at the Conservatorio statale “Tito Schipa” in Lecce, from which he graduated in 1999. He continued his studies with Sandro Gorli (1994 -1996) and then with Alessandro Solbiati (1999-2002), in courses that would be important for his training as a composer. He earned a diploma in Electronic Music in 2009 and works as a composer, instrumentalist and improviser. He writes music for chamber and full orchestras, theatre and film.
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Billy Wilder’s SOME LIKE IT HOT and More in Venezia Classici Lineup of 75th Venice International Film Festival
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SOME LIKE IT HOT[/caption]
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.
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Director David Cronenberg to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award at Venice Film Festival
David Cronenberg will receive the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement for directors at the 75th Venice International Film Festival, taking place August 29 to September 8, 2018.
Accepting the award, David Cronenberg declared: “I’ve always loved the Golden Lion of Venice. A lion that flies on golden wings––that’s the essence of art, isn’t it? The essence of cinema. It will be almost unbearably thrilling to receive a Golden Lion of my own.”
With regard to this prize, Festival Director, Alberto Barbera declared: “Although Cronenberg was originally relegated to the margins of the horror genre, right from his first, scandalously subversive movies, the director has shown that he wants to take his audiences well beyond the cinema of exploitation, as he constructs an original and highly personal structure, movie after movie. Revolving around the inseparable relationship of body, sex, and death, his universe is populated by grotesque deformities and terrifying couplings, a horror which reflects the fear of mutations inflicted on bodies by science and technology, of disease and physical decay, of the unresolved conflict between spirit and flesh. Violence, sexual transgression, confusion between what is real and what is virtual, the image’s deforming role in contemporary society: these are a few of the recurring themes which have helped make him one of the most daring and stimulating filmmakers ever, a tireless innovator of forms and languages.”
Director David Cronenberg’s reputation as an authentic auteur has been firmly established by his uniquely personal body of work which includes: Shivers, Rabid, Fast Company, The Brood, Scanners, Videodrome, The Fly, Dead Ringers, Naked Lunch, Crash, eXistenZ, The Dead Zone, M. Butterfly, Spider, A History of Violence, Eastern Promises, A Dangerous Method, Cosmopolis and Maps to the Stars. In 1991, Cronenberg was nominated for the Silver Bear Award at the Berlin Film Festival for Naked Lunch and won this award in 1999 for eXistenZ. Cronenberg’s films Crash, Spider, A History of Violence and Cosmopolis have all been in competition for the Palme d’Or prize at the Cannes Film Festival. In 1996, Crash received a Special Jury Prize from the Festival. Most recently, in 2011, A Dangerous Method was nominated for a Golden Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival.
Frequently lauded as one of the world’s greatest and most influential directors, Cronenberg’s films have earned him critical praise and recognition internationally. In 1999, he presided over the Cannes Film Festival jury and in 2006, was awarded the Festival’s lifetime achievement award, the Carrosse d’Or. Collectively, his films have been nominated for seven Golden Globes; received BAFTA and France’s César Award nominations for A History of Violence and Eastern Promises; four Academy Award nominations; prizes from the Toronto International Film Festival, Directors Guild of Canada and Canada’s Genie Awards. Cronenberg’s short film, At the Suicide of the Last Jew in the World in the Last Cinema in the World, in which he also stars, was created for the Chacun son cinema collection of films commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Cannes International Film Festival. Other special commissions include Camera (2000), created for the 25th anniversary of the Toronto International Film (TIFF) and The Nest (2013) as part of TIFF’s David Cronenberg Evolution exhibition and retrospective.
In 2006, Cronenberg worked with the Art Gallery of Ontario as a guest curator for the exhibition, Andy Warhol/Supernova: Stars, Deaths and Disasters, 1962-1964. David created an innovative soundtrack audio guide with additional commentary by several of Warhol’s contemporaries. Further challenging himself outside the realm of film, David brought the opera of the The Fly to the stage for the Théâtre du Châtelet and LA Opera in 2008. Turning his hand to fiction in 2014, David debuted his first novel, Consumed. The inventive and disturbing work was mounted as a stage play by Theatre Bremen in 2015 and is currently being developed for television. Recognition of Cronenberg’s contribution to art and culture has included an appointment as an Officer to the Order of Canada in 2003, a Companion of the Order of Canada in 2014, investiture in France’s Order of Arts and Letters in 1990 and the Légion d’Honneur in 2009. Cronenberg was made a Fellow of the British Film Institute in 2011.
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Director Guillermo del Toro Named President of the International Jury of the 75th Venice International Film Festival
Director Guillermo del Toro (The Shape of Water, Pan’s Labyrinth, The Devil’s Backbone) will be the president of the International Jury of the Competition at the 75th Venice International Film Festival taking place August 29 to September 8, 2018, which will assign the Golden Lion for Best Film as well as other official awards.
Guillermo del Toro commented: “To serve as president in Venice is a immense honor and responsibility that I accept with respect and gratitude. Venice is a window to world cinema and the opportunity to celebrate its power and cultural relevance.”
Festival Director Alberto Barbera said: “Guillermo Del Toro personifies generosity, a love for movies past or future, and a passion for the kind of cinema that can spark emotions, affect people and, at the same time, make them reflect. By virtue of his lively imagination, uncommon sensitivity and his trust in the power of images, he has brought to life a fantastic universe in which love and fear can coexist, and to treasure diversity is a fundamental value. We are pleased and honored that he has agreed to preside over the Jury of the 75th Venice Film Festival, after having illuminated the previous edition with the dazzling beauty of The Shape of Water. He will be a genial, inquisitive and enthusiastic President.”
Guillermo del Toro participated in the Competition of the recent 74th Venice International Film Festival 2017 with The Shape of Water, which won the Golden Lion for Best Film, awarded by the Jury chaired by Annette Bening. Del Toro participated in the Venice Film Festival for the first time in 1997 with the film Mimic, in the Mezzanotte section. In 2006, he was a member of the Jury for the Luigi de Laurentiis Venice Award for a Debut Film at the 63rd Venice Film Festival.
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Guillermo del Toro’s THE SHAPE OF WATER Wins Golden Lion at Venice International Film Festival
Guillermo del Toro fairy tale drama The Shape of Water, set against the backdrop of Cold War era America circa 1962 won the Golden Lion for Best Film at the 2017 Venice International Film Festival. The film, starring Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Doug Jones, Michael Stuhlbarg, Octavia Spencer, also won the Future Film Festival Digital Award, C. Smithers Foundation Award – CICT-UNESCO, and the Soundtrack Stars Award.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFYWazblaUA
The Silver Lion – Grand Jury Prize went to Foxtrot by Samuel Maoz, and the Silver Lion – Award for Best Director went to Xavier Legrand for his film Custody (Jusqu’à la Garde). Custody also won the award for Lion of The Future “Luigi de Laurentiis” Venice Award for a Debut Film.
2017 Venice International Film Festival Awards
VENEZIA 74
GOLDEN LION for Best Film to: THE SHAPE OF WATER by Guillermo del Toro (USA) SILVER LION – GRAND JURY PRIZE to: FOXTROT by Samuel Maoz (Israel, Germany, France, Switzerland) SILVER LION – AWARD FOR BEST DIRECTOR to: Xavier Legrand for the film JUSQU’À LA GARDE (France) COPPA VOLPI for Best Actress: Charlotte Rampling in the film HANNAH by Andrea Pallaoro (Italy, Belgium, France) COPPA VOLPI for Best Actor: Kamel El Basha in the film THE INSULT by Ziad Doueiri (Lebanon, France) AWARD FOR BEST SCREENPLAY to: Martin McDonagh for the film THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI by Martin McDonagh (Great Britain) SPECIAL JURY PRIZE to: SWEET COUNTRY by Warwick Thornton (Australia) MARCELLO MASTROIANNI AWARD for Best Young Actor or Actress to: Charlie Plummer in the film LEAN ON PETE by Andrew Haigh (Great Britain)ORIZZONTI
ORIZZONTI AWARD FOR BEST FILM to: NICO, 1988 by Susanna Nicchiarelli (Italy, Belgium) ORIZZONTI AWARD FOR BEST DIRECTOR to: Vahid Jalilvand for BEDOUNE TARIKH, BEDOUNE EMZA (NO DATE, NO SIGNATURE) (Iran) SPECIAL ORIZZONTI JURY PRIZE to: CANIBA by Véréna Paravel and Lucien Castaing-Taylor (France, USA) ORIZZONTI AWARD FOR BEST ACTRESS to: Lyna Khoudri in LES BIENHEUREUX by Sofia Djama (France, Belgium, Qatar) ORIZZONTI AWARD FOR BEST ACTOR to: Navid Mohammadzadeh in BEDOUNE TARIKH, BEDOUNE EMZA (NO DATE, NO SIGNATURE) by Vahid Jalilvand (Iran) ORIZZONTI AWARD FOR BEST SCREENPLAY to: Alireza Khatami for LOS VERSOS DEL OLVIDO by Alireza Khatami (France, Germany, Netherlands, Chile) ORIZZONTI AWARD FOR BEST SHORT FILM to: GROS CHAGRIN by Céline Devaux (France) VENICE SHORT FILM NOMINATION FOR THE EUROPEAN FILM AWARDS 2017 to: GROS CHAGRIN by Céline Devaux (France)VENICE AWARD FOR A DEBUT FILM
LION OF THE FUTURE “LUIGI DE LAURENTIIS” VENICE AWARD FOR A DEBUT FILM to: JUSQU’À LA GARDE by Xavier Legrand (France) VENEZIA 74VENICE CLASSICS
VENICE CLASSICS AWARD FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY ON CINEMA to: THE PRINCE AND THE DYBBUK by Elwira Niewiera and Piotr Rosołowski (Poland, Germany) VENICE CLASSICS AWARD FOR BEST RESTORED FILM to: IDI I SMOTRI (COME AND SEE) by Elem Klimov (USSR, 1985)VENICE VIRTUAL REALITY
BEST VR AWARD to: ARDEN’S WAKE (EXPANDED) by Eugene YK Chung (USA) BEST VR EXPERIENCE AWARD (FOR INTERACTIVE CONTENT) to: LA CAMERA INSABBIATA by Laurie Anderson and Hsin-Chien Huang (USA, Taiwan) BEST VR STORY AWARD (FOR LINEAR CONTENT) to: BLOODLESS by Gina Kim (South Korea, USA)COLLATERAL AWARDS
Arca CinemaGiovani Award Venezia 74 Best Film: FOXTROT by Samuel Maoz Best Italian Film: BEAUTIFUL THINGS by Giorgio Ferrero BNL People’s Choice Award – Giornate degli Autori GA’AGUA (LONGING) by Savi Gabizon Brian Award LES BIENHEUREUX by Sofia Djama Circolo del Cinema di Verona Award – 32nd Venice International Film Critics’ Week TEAM HURRICANE by Annika Berg Civitas Vitae Award IL COLORE NASCOSTO DELLE COSE by Silvio Soldini Fair Play Cinema Award EX LIBRIS – THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY by Frederick Wiseman Special Mention: HUMAN FLOW by Ai Weiwei Fedeora Award (Federazione dei Critici Europei e dei Paesi Mediterranei) Best Film: EYE ON JULIET by Kim Nguyen Best Director of a Debut Film: SARA FORESTIER for M Best Actor: REDOUANNE HARJANE for M FEDIC Award LA VITA IN COMUNE by Edoardo Winspeare Special Mention: NICO, 1988 by Susanna Nicchiarelli Mention FEDIC – Il giornale del cibo: LE VISITE by Elio Di Pace FIPRESCI Award EX LIBRIS – THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY by Frederick Wiseman Best Debut Film: LOS VERSOS DEL OLVIDO by Alireza Khatami Fondazione Mimmo Rotella Award GEORGE CLOONEY, MICHAEL CAINE and AI WEIWEI Enrico Fulchignoni – CICT-UNESCO Award HUMAN FLOW by Ai Weiwei Future Film Festival Digital Award THE SHAPE OF WATER by Guillermo del Toro Special Mention: GATTA CENERENTOLA by A. Rak, I. Cappiello, M. Guarnieri, D. Sansone GdA Director’s Award – Giornate degli Autori CANDELARIA by Jhonny Hendrix Hinestroza Green Drop Award FIRST REFORMED by Paul Schrader HRNs Award – Special Prize for Human Rights THE RAPE OF RACY TAYLOR by Nancy Buirski Special Mention: L’ORDINE DELLE COSE by Andrea Segre Special Mention: HUMAN FLOW by Ai Weiwei Interfilm Award LOS VERSOS DEL OLVIDO by Alireza Khatami Label Europa Cinemas Award M by Sara Forestier Lanterna Magica Award (CGS) L’EQUILIBRIO by Vincenzo Marra La Pellicola d’Oro Award Best Production Manager in an Italian Film: DANIELE SPINOZZI for Ammore e Malavita Best Production Manager in an International Film: RICCARDO MARCHEGIANI for Mektoub My Love: Canto Uno Best Stagehand: ROBERTO DI PIETRO for Hannah Leoncino d’Oro Agiscuola Award THE LEISURE SEEKER by Paolo Virzì Cinema for UNICEF Award: HUMAN FLOW by Ai Weiwei Lizzani Award GÉRÔME BOURDEZEAU and DOMINIQUE BATTESTI IL COLORE NASCOSTO DELLE COSE by Silvio Soldini Lina Mangiacapre Award LES BIENHEUREUX by Sofia Djama Mouse d’Oro Award MEKTOUB, MY LOVE: CANTO UNO by Abdellatif Kechiche Mouse d’Argento Award: GATTA CENERENTOLA by A. Rak, I. Cappiello, M. Guarnieri, D. Sansone NuovoImaie Talent Award FEDERICA ROSELLINI for Dove cadono le ombre MIMMO BORRELLI for L’equilibrio Open Award GATTA CENERENTOLA by A. Rak, I. Cappiello, M. Guarnieri, D. Sansone Francesco Pasinetti Award – SNGCI AMMORE E MALAVITA by Manetti Bros. Special Award: GATTA CENERENTOLA by A. Rak, I. Cappiello, M. Guarnieri, D. Sansone Special Award: NICO, 1988 by Susanna Nicchiarelli Gillo Pontecorvo Award – Arcobaleno Latino MIAO XIAOTIAN, CEO of China Film Coproduction Corporation Queer Lion Award MARVIN by Anne Fontaine Mario Serandrei – Hotel Saturnia Award for the Best Technical Contribution – 32nd Venice International Film Critics’ Week LES GARÇONS SAUVAGES by Bertrand Mandico Sfera 1932 Award LA MÉLODIE by Rachid Hami SIAE Audience Award – 32nd Venice International Film Critics’ Week TEMPORADA DE CAZA by Natalia Garagiola SIGNIS Award LA VILLA by Robert Guédiguian Special Mention: FOXTROT by Samuel Maoz C. Smithers Foundation Award – CICT-UNESCO THE SHAPE OF WATER by Guillermo del Toro Sorriso Diverso Venezia 2017 Award – Ass Ucl IL COLORE NASCOSTO DELLE COSE by Silvio Soldini Soundtrack Stars Award ALEXANDRE DESPLAT for The Shape of Water Special Award: AMMORE E MALAVITA by Manetti Bros. Lifetime Achievement Award to ANDREA GUERRA UNIMED Award LA VILLA by Robert Guédiguian Special Mention: BRUTTI E CATTIVI by Cosimo Gomez image via Twitter
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Director Stephen Frears Receives Glory to the Filmmaker Award at Venice International Film Festival
Yesterday, in the Sala Grande of the Palazzo del Cinema at the 74th Venice International Film Festival, director Stephen Frears received the Glory to the Filmmaker award for his significant contribution to innovation in contemporary cinema.
Director Stephen Frears received The Jaeger-LeCoultre Glory To The Filmmaker Award and Reverso engraved watched from Chief Marketing Officer of Jaeger-LeCoultre Nicolas Siriez (L) and festival director Alberto Barbera (R). (Photo by Sebastiano Pessina)
Following the award ceremony, the Festival presented the Out of Competition screening of Frears’ new film Victoria & Abdul, receiving its world premiere screening in Venice.
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Director Stephen Frears to Receive Award at Venice International Film Festival
Director Stephen Frears (Philomena, The Queen, Dangerous Liaisons) will receive the Jaeger-LeCoultre Glory to the Filmmaker award at the 74th Venice International Film Festival, dedicated to a personality who has made an original contribution to innovation in contemporary cinema.
Stephen Frears will be awarded the prize at a ceremony to be held on Sunday September 3rd, before the Out of Competition screening of his new film Victoria & Abdul, receiving its world premiere screening in Venice. The film is set in 1887, when Abdul travels from India to present a ceremonial medal as part of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee but surprisingly finds favor with the elderly Queen. The unprecedented and unlikely relationship causes a battle royale within the royal household, pitting the Queen against court and family. Victoria & Abdul humorously explores questions of race, religion, power, and the farce of Empire through the prism of a highly unusual and deeply moving friendship.
The Director of the Venice Film Festival, Alberto Barbera, made the following statement about the award: “Prolific and unpredictable, eclectic and provocative, Stephen Frears seems to challenge the very idea of a monolithic definition of his cinema. Along with Ken Loach and Mike Leigh, he is one of the most vibrant and representative exponents of contemporary British cinema. As opposed to many other directors, he is not afraid of seeming self-contradictory: he nonchalantly passes from the social realism of the 1980s to biographies, from comedies to historical dramas, alternating British and American movies, low-budget and high-budget productions, cinema and television, and each time he is at ease. This evident contrast might be the most interesting aspect of his work, along with his universally recognized qualities: an uncommon sensitivity in the way he directs his actors; the ability to get the most out of his relationship with famous authors (Alan Bennet, Christopher Hampton, Hanif Kureishi, Nick Hornby); his apparent modesty, which consists in subordinating style to the demands of the material. A great narrator of stories with recurring topics, such as his attention to oppressed and marginalized characters, in his best movies Frears has the rare gift of creating a portrait of British society: sharp, caustic, unconventional, and simultaneously disturbing and amusing.”