You know a movie is a big deal when it wins a prestigious award at Venice Film Festival, the oldest film fest of the world cinema. The 11-day fest generates the initial Oscar buzz. Finding a slot right before Telluride and Toronto film festivals, the fest will attempt to start off the fall movie season with a bang!
It is now known that if a film is appreciated and awarded at the Venice Film Festival, it is bound to take home some Oscars. Remember the amount of buzz that movies like Spotlight, Gravity, Birdman and La La Land created last year?
There are some star-studded movies that Venice will act host to this year. The potpourri of movies constitutes of some Oscar-worthy movies. The fest starts off with Alexander Payne's sci-fi film Downsizing starring Matt Damon.
This will not be Damon's only appearance. The actor will also feature in George Clooney's directed movie titled Suburbicon. The film sees The Martian actor star with Oscar-winning actress Julianne Moore.
The film festival will get a dark and psychotic film as Black Swan director Darren Aronofsky will present his movie Mother! The film stars Jennifer Lawrence in the lead. Other presentations include del Toro's The Shape Of Water, Stephen Frears' Victoria & Abdul, James Toback's The Private Life Of A Modern Woman with Sienna Miller, Brawl In Cell Block 99 starring Hacksaw Ridge actor Vince Vaughn, Michael R Roskam's La Fidèle, Lean on Pete, by British director Andrew Haigh and Mektoub, My Love: Canto Uno, directed by Abdellatif Kechiche.
While the above movies are a part of the competition, the film fest will also act as a platform for original content submitted by Netflix. The online streaming platform, which got negative reactions at Cannes, will debut Our Souls at Night, Netflix's first Italian production, Suburra and Errol Morris series Wormwood to name a few.
Downsizing trailer
Suburbicon trailer:
Mother! trailer
The Shape of Water:
Victoria & Abdul trailer:
Brawl In Cell Block 99 trailer:
La Fidèle trailer:
Our Souls at Night trailer:
Wormwood trailer:
While the Venice Film Festival shows the best of Oscars, this year the fest might be less starry because a number of Oscar buzz worthy movies are not ready yet. Movies like Pentagon Papers and Daniel Day-Lewis's untitled project are not complete yet but are expected to release this year.
Red Carpet:
Offering Italy's most beautiful and classiest location to celebrate the best of cinema, it goes without saying that celebrities will attempt to leave the best fashion statements on Venice Film Festival's red carpet. Festival director Alberto Barbera says this year's red-carpet roster is "the biggest list (of celebrities) we've had in years," Washington Post reports.
The website also shares that Venice's Lido Island will witness Matt Damon, George Clooney, Jennifer Lawrence, Penelope Cruz, Judi Dench, Helen Mirren, Donald Sutherland and Michael Caine.
Venice Film Festival dates: Starting from August 30, the film festival will host movies until September 9.