The 81st Venice International Film Festival opened on August 28 at the Sala Grande cinema hall with the release of the “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” directed by Tim Burton. The opening ceremony was hosted by Italian actress Sveva Alviti.
Festival's Director Alberto Barbera, said: “‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ marks the long-awaited return of one of the most iconic characters of Tim Burton’s cinema, but also the happy confirmation of the extraordinary visionary talent and the masterly realization of one of the most fascinating auteurs of his time. The Venice Biennale is honored and proud to host the world premiere of a work that features a surprising swing of creative imagination and driving hallucinatory rhythm.”
After an unexpected family tragedy, three generations of the Deetz family return home to Winter River. Still haunted by Beetlejuice, Lydia’s life is turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid, discovers the mysterious model of the town in the attic and the portal to the Afterlife is accidentally opened. With trouble brewing in both realms, it’s only a matter of time until someone says Beetlejuice’s name three times and the mischievous demon returns to unleash his very own brand of mayhem. Tim Burton stated: “I’m very excited by this. It means a lot to me to have the world premiere of this film at the Venice Film Festival.”
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. One section is devoted to enhancing the restoration works on classic films as a contribution towards a better understanding of the history of cinema.
The 81st Venice International Film Festival, as the world's oldest film event, is chaired by Alberto Barbera and with the screening of works by directors from different countries in the Competition, including; 21 feature films in the Main Competition, 19 feature films and 13 short films in the Orizzonti Competition, 26 short films in the Immersive competition, 7 feature films and 7 short films in the Critics' Week competition as well as the out of competition; 14 feature films, 11 documentaries and 5 drama series in Feature Show, 4 feature films in Special Screening, 9 feature films in Orizzonti Extra, 1 short film in Orizzonti, 18 feature films in Classic Films, 9 documentaries in the restored films of Venice Classics, 7 short films and 4 feature films in College Cinema, 10 short films in Best of Experiences and 20 in Best of Worlds, will be held August 28 - September 7 in Venice, Italy.
The International Jury for the main Competition of the 81st Venice International Film Festival, will consist of a total of nine international film personalities, who will award the Golden Lion for Best Film and the other official awards.
Chaired by French actress Isabelle Huppert, the International Jury of the main Competition will also include members: American director and screenwriter James Gray; British director and screenwriter Andrew Haigh; Polish director, screenwriter and producer Agnieszka Holland; Brazilian director and screenwriter Kleber Mendonça Filho; Mauritanian director, screenwriter and producer Abderrahmane Sissako; Italian director and screenwriter Giuseppe Tornatore; German director and screenwriter Julia von Heinz; and Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi.
The Golden Lion for Best Film and other official awards will be announced during the closing ceremony of the 81st Venice International Film Festival on September 7 on the stage of the Sala Grande of the Palazzo del Cinema at the Venice Lido.
The Jury of Venezia 81 will award the following official prizes to the feature films in Competition, with no joint awards allowed: Golden Lion for Best Film, Silver Lion - Grand Jury Prize, Silver Lion for Best Director, Coppa Volpi for Best Actress, Coppa Volpi for Best Actor, Special Jury Prize, Award for Best Screenplay, and “Marcello Mastroianni” Award for Best New Young Actor or Actress.
Chaired by American director and screenwriter Debra Granik, the international jury of Orizzonti will also include Iranian writer, director and producer Ali Asgari; Syrian film director and screenwriter Soudade Kaadan; Greek director, screenwriter and producer Christos Nikou; Swedish actress and director Tuva Novotny; Hungarian filmmaker Gábor Reisz; Italian screenwriter and director Valia Santella.
The Orizzonti Jury will award the following prizes, with no joint awards allowed: Orizzonti Award for Best Film, Orizzonti Award for Best Director, Special Orizzonti Jury Prize, Orizzonti Award for Best Actress, Orizzonti Award for Best Actor, Orizzonti Award for Best Screenplay, Orizzonti Award for Best Short Film.
Chaired by Italian film critic Gianni Canova, the international jury of the “Luigi De Laurentiis” Venice Award for a Debut Film will also include American writer and director Ricky D’Ambrose; Brazilian director, visual artist, actress and producer Barbara Paz; Canadian actress and director Taylor Russell; film festival curator and project market director Jacob Wong; Japan.
The Jury of the Venice Award for a Debut Film will award to one of the debut feature-length films selected from the various competitive sections of the Venice Film Festival (Official Selection and Independent and Parallel Sidebars), with no joint awards allowed, the Lion of the Future – “Luigi De Laurentiis” Venice Award for a Debut Film, with the cash prize of $100,000 donated by Filmauro, will be divided equally between the director and the producer.
The Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement of the 81st Venice International Film Festival has been awarded to the Australian director and screenwriter Peter Weir (Dead Poets Society, The Truman Show, Master & Commander).
Peter Weir announced in a message: “The Venice International Film Festival and its Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement are part of the folklore of our craft. To be singled out as a recipient for a lifetime work as a director is a considerable honour.”
Iconic American actress and three-time Academy Award nominee Sigourney Weaver ("Alien," "Gorillas in the Mist," "Galaxy Quest") has been awarded the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the opening night 81st Venice International Film Festival.
Sigourney Weaver, in accepting, said: “I am truly honored to receive the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement from La Biennale di Venezia. To be gifted this award is a privilege I share with all the filmmakers and collaborators I have worked with throughout the years. I proudly accept this award in celebration of all who have helped bring these films to life.”
After the success last year, the Masterclasses and Conversations with cinema personalities are back at the 81st Venice International Film Festival of La Biennale di Venezia, with a richer program and in a new and larger location, the Match Point Arena.
In particular, four Masterclasses will be held by directors and performers, including the American actress Sigourney Weaver (Golden Lion for Career) on August 29 at 4.30 pm, the Australian director and screenwriter Peter Weir (Golden Lion for Career) on September 1 at 3.30 pm, the American actor Ethan Hawke on September 2 at 10.00 am and the Italian director Pupi Avati on September 6 at 4.00 pm.
There will be three Conversations organized by Cartier - The Art and Craft of Cinema, in collaboration with La Biennale, which will include the dialogue between composer Nicola Piovani (Oscar award for Life Is Beautiful) and Italian director and screenwriter Cristina Comencini on August 31 at 11.00 am, French director and screenwriter Claude Lelouch (Cartier Glory to the Filmmaker award) with singer, composer and actress Barbara Pravi (respectively director and performer of the out-of-competition film Finalement) on Saturday 31 August at 4.30 pm and famous American actor Richard Gere with his Italian voice actor, Mario Cordova, on September 1 at 10.30 am.