Venice Film Festival has an impressive, if controversial, directorial lineup amid strike
Woody Allen and Roman Polanski are featured on the 80th Venice Film Festival lineup with Bradley Cooper and Ava DuVernay
The dual Writers Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild strikes have not put a stop to the Venice Film Festival. The event may be a little less glamorous—no beautiful movie stars arriving in water taxis—but the festival has nevertheless garnered an impressive collection of movies with big-name directors for its lineup. The festival kicks off on August 30 and will feature films from Ava DuVernay, Bradley Cooper, and, um, Woody Allen.
Yes, the 80th annual Venice Film Festival has attracted some of the most notable filmmakers alive, though some have become less notable for their films than for the controversies attached to their names. Both Woody Allen and Roman Polanski have films premiering in Venice out of competition. Allen, who has faced renewed scrutiny over allegations that he molested his daughter Dylan Farrow in the 1990s, will debut his 50th film, the French language feature Coup De Chance. Allen is expected to attend the festival, per Deadline. Polanski, who was charged with rape of a minor, will screen his film The Palace. Meanwhile, Luc Besson, who was cleared of rape charges earlier this year, has his new film DogMan screening in competition.
Controversy is not the only thing on the lineup at Venice. Sofia Coppola, David Fincher, Yorgos Lanthimos, Pablo Larrain, and Cooper are among those screening new films in competition. DuVernay will make festival history as the first African American filmmaker to screen in competition with her new film Origin, per Deadline. Out-of-competition screenings include Wes Anderson’s The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, Harmony Korine’s Aggro Dr1ft, and Richard Linklater’s Hit Man.
Announcing the list of films today, festival chief Alberto Barbera said that the 2023 lineup had been confirmed before SAG-AFTRA officially went on strike, per Deadline. Only Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers pulled out in the wake of the work stoppage; the rest of the American films invited “have been confirmed and will be present in the festival.” Babylon and La La Land director Damien Chazelle will serve as jury president. You can check out the full list of films below.
VENEZIA 80 COMPETITON
Comandante, dir: Edoardo de Angelis (opening night film)
The Promised Land, dir: Nikolaj Arcel
DogMan, dir: Luc Besson
La Bête, dir: Bertrand Bonello
Hors-Saison, dir: Stéphane Brizé
Enea, dir: Pietro Castellitto
Maestro, dir: Bradley Cooper
Priscilla, dir: Sofia Coppola
Finalmente L’Alba, dir: Saverio Costanzo
Lubo, dir: Giorgio Diritti
Origin, dir: Ava DuVernay
The Killer, dir: David Fincher
Memory, dir: Michel Franco
Io Capitano, dir: Matteo Garrone
Evil Does Not Exist, Ryusuke Hamaguchi
The Green Border, dir: Agnieszka Holland
Die Theorie Von Allem, dir: Timm Kroger
Poor Things, dir: Yorgos Lanthimos
El Conde, dir: Pablo Larrain
Ferrari, dir: Michael Mann
Adagio, dir: Stefano Sollima
Woman Of, dirs: Malgorzata Szumowska, Michal Englert
Holly, dir: Fien Troch
OUT OF COMPETITION
Fiction
Coup de Chance, dir: Woody Allen
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, dir: Wes Anderson
The Penitent, dir: Luca Barbareschi
L’Ordine del Tempo, dir: Liliana Cavani
Vivants, dir: Alix Delaporte
Daaaaaal!, dir: Quentin Dupieux
The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, dir: William Friedkin
Aggro Dr1ft, dir: Harmony Korine
Hit Man, dir: Richard Linklater
The Palace, dir: Roman Polanski
Snow Leopard, dir: Pema Tseden
Society of the Snow, dir: J.A. Bayona (closing film)
Short
Welcome to Paradise, dir: Leonardo Di Costanzo