As a seasoned movie critic with a deep appreciation for independent cinema and a keen interest in women directors, I am thrilled to see the Venice Film Festival’s Giornate Degli Autori showcasing an impressive lineup of films at this year’s event. The presence of 16 female-directed titles out of the section’s 25 is a significant achievement, as Gaia Furrer rightly pointed out, given that many women faced challenging circumstances while creating their works despite gender barriers.
At the Venice Film Festival’s independent segment, Giornate Degli Autori, women-directed films take center stage with a varied program showcasing debut films and unique events. Notable among these is “Peaches Goes Bananas,” a heartfelt homage to iconic Canadian electropop artist Peaches by French filmmaker Marie Losier.
Over a span of seventeen years, the documentary “Peaches Goes Bananas” was filmed, offering a close-up look at the life of the ex-teacher turned iconic figure. In the 1980s, she relocated from Canada to Berlin and emerged as a groundbreaking queer feminist symbol by challenging societal norms and using her body as an artistic canvas.
During the Giornate, or Venice Days competition, there will be ten new films making their world debuts. Six of these are first-time productions. According to artistic director Gaia Furrer’s remarks, the lineup she curated is both stringent and diverse in terms of style.
Furer highlighted an important point: sixteen out of the section’s twenty-five titles were helmed by women. She emphasized this statistic, explaining, “Many of these women faced challenges while creating their works under less than ideal circumstances and against formidable gender biases.”
As a movie critic, I’ve had the pleasure of previewing “Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass,” a captivating piece by London-based animation masters Stephen and Timothy Quay. In their third feature, they blend stop-motion animation with live-action, drawing inspiration from Bruno Schulz’s enchanting book of the same name.
Dutch filmmaker Jan-Willem van Erik, known for his grand production “Atlantic” shown in Toronto, is additionally contending with the psychological thriller “Alpha.” This film explores a complicated father-son dynamic and takes place in the Swiss Alps.
Standout first works include atmospheric French drama “The Book of Joy” by Camille Lugan, a former AD to Jacques Audiard, with a cast comprising Asia Argento and Raphaël Thiéry (“The Dreamer”); Iranian director Shahab Fotouhi’s Tehran-set relationship drama “Boomerang”; and the section’s out-of-competition closer “Basileia” by Isabella Torre, which was developed in the Sundance lab and produced by Jonas Carpignano. “Basileia” is about an archaeologist who, while exploring a tomb in Southern Italy’s rugged Aspromonte mountains, awakens ancient presences. The cast includes Angela Fontana (“Indivisibili”) and Danish American actor Elliott Crosset Hove (“Godland”).
In addition to “Peaches Goes Bananas,” other special events at Venice Days feature “Open Couple” by Federica Di Giacomo. This is a hilarious farce about the complexities of sexual politics in marriage, inspired by a play penned by renowned Italian playwright Dario Fo, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature.
Two shorts, one helmed by Malaysian filmmaker Tan Chi Mui (“Barbarian Invasion”) and Argentine director-producer Laura Citarella (“Trenque Lauquen”), will be screened as part of the Miu Miu Women’s Tales, a collection of short films produced for Prada and directed by women.
The 21st installment of Venice Days will take place from August 28 to September 7, simultaneously with the main Venice Film Festival program. Here’s a look at the complete roster (below).
IN COMPETITION
“Alpha,” Jan-Willem van Erik
“The Antique,” Russian Glurjidze
“Boomerang,” Shahab Fotouhi
“Manas,” Marianna Brennand
“Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass,” Stephen and Timothy Quay
“The Book of Joy,” Camille Lugan
“Super Happy Forever,” Kohei Igarashi
“Sugar Island,” Johanné Gómez Terrero
“Taxi Monamour,” Ciro De Caro
“To Kill a Mongolian Horse,” Xiaoxuan Jiang
OUT OF COMPETITION
“Basileia,” Isabella Torre
SPECIAL EVENTS
“Open Couple,” Federica Di Giacomo
“Soul of the Desert,” Mónica Taboada-Tapia
“Kora,” Cláudia Varejão
“Possibility of Paradise,” Mladen Kovačević
“Peaches Goes Bananas,” Marie Losier
“Sudan, Remember Us,” Hind Meddeb
WOMEN’S TALES PROJECT (shorts), in collaboration with Prada’s Miu Miu Label
“I Am the Beauty of Your Beauty, I Am the Fear of Your Fear,” Chui Mui Tan
“The Miu Miu Affaire,” Laura Citarella
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2024-07-19 13:47