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For the first time in its history, the oldest film festival in the world has awarded a Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement to a female director. Liliana Cavani, who’s now 90 and as sharp-witted as ever, accepted the award at the opening ceremony of the 80th Venice International Film Festival from British actress Charlotte Rampling, celebrating a career that continues today. In her moving acceptance speech she commented:
“I’m the first woman to receive this award and I don’t think that’s right. There are many female screenwriters and directors working at the same level as men. They need to be given a chance to be seen. This festival has been running for many years, and a proper balance is definitely needed. I hope that my award is just the first of many that recognize women in the years to come.”
Born in Carpi in 1933, the director is also participating in Venezia 80 (August 30 – September 9) with her out-of-competition film L’ordine del tempo and the short Incontri di notte. Tony Leung Chiu-wai, who acted in three Golden Lion films between 1989 and 2007, has also won a Lifetime Achievement award and will receive his on September 2.
Hosted by actress Caterina Murino, the inauguration on August 30 saw Italy featured on the bill with the premiere screening of Comandante, directed by Edoardo De Angelis and starring Pierfrancesco Favino. The film tells the true story of submarine commander Salvatore Todaro and the rescue of 26 Belgians from a sunken merchant ship.
“Are we really living in such an interesting time in history?” asks Festival director Alberto Barbera. “This question is unavoidable when we see the combination of uncertainties, difficulties, and chaos gathering like storm clouds over moviegoers’ heads. An almost unprecedented strike is shaking the very foundations of the film industry, which was already affected by deep tensions caused by the recent pandemic and ongoing changes in a market that’s uncertain of its own future. There’s a looming threat that, after two years of major investments, financial resources might be abruptly stripped back starting next season. Apart from in the case of a small number of blockbusters, cinema ticket sales are struggling to return to pre-pandemic levels, and this threatens the survival of art-house and independent cinema. Finally, there’s an endemic fear over the changes that artificial intelligence will shortly bring to the film industry’s entire creative and production chains. Not to mention climate change and an ongoing war, both of which are causing unspeakable destruction locally and growing anxiety in all of us. Nevertheless, although the audiovisual industry is fragile, cinema is still very much alive. The long process of selecting movies for screening at the Venice International Film Festival confirmed this, despite the difficulties that we encountered again this year. And this confirmation is not only quantitative but is also, and in particular, reflected in the quality of the submissions.”
Cinema and architecture come together again for the fourth Venice Architecture Film Festival, scheduled for August 31 – September 2 and presented by cultural association ArchiTuned. Lying between Piazza San Marco and Lido di Venezia, the island of San Servolo will host three free evening sessions dedicated to shorts, docufilms, animations, and experimental films that deal with architecture and the urban space. The festival will be investigating inhabited places and community dynamics, as well as the social and political aspects of life in urban environments.
The source of inspiration for this edition was a quote from Alain de Botton, the Swiss-born British author and philosopher, who, in his book The Architecture of Happiness (Pantheon Books, 2006), wrote:
“Belief in the significance of architecture is premised on the notion that we are, for better or for worse, different people in different places – and on the conviction that it is architecture’s task to render vivid to us who we might ideally be.”
This edition, therefore, is examining the themes of celebration and strength of community, embracing a positivist perspective on living together.
>>> Read more about the Architecture Biennale still in progress in Venice.
The epicenter of the glamorous side to the Festival is, as usual, the famous Excelsior Hotel on Lido di Venezia, with its spacious suites and vast terraces overlooking the sea. The hotel will also host a series of events on the “Terrazza Cinematografo by Atlas Concorde,” a designer outdoor space that Atlas Concorde, in collaboration with Ente dello Spettacolo Foundation, has set up with lighting by Artemide.
But this year the Foundation will also be playing a starring role at the Festival through its Cienematigrafo media house, which is presenting “Spazio Cinematografo” (Sala Tropicana 1, Excelsior Hotel), a space that will promote the culture of cinema through events, projects, and printed publications. It will also host events organized by various institutions, cultural organizations, independent producers, and companies that operate, directly or indirectly, in the world of cinema.
The highlight on the Spazio Cinematografo program will be the awards ceremony of the 24th Robert Bresson Award. This year, the Foundation and Rivista del Cinematografo – with the sponsorship of the Dicasteries for Culture and Education, and for Communication of the Holy See – has awarded the prestigious prize to Mario Martone.
Location: Venice, Italy
Date: from August, 30th to September, 9th
Individual photo credits are included in each gallery image
