Venice Film Festival scales down picks
Brian De Palma’s thriller “Passion” and Terrence Malick’s “To the Wonder” are among the 18 movies that will compete for the Venice Film Festival’s Golden Lion award this year, organizers said Thursday.
This year’s lineup is slimmed from previous showcases for what creative director Alberto Barbera said should be easier viewer digestion. Sixty films, including 50 world premieres, will be shown at the festival, from Aug. 26 to Sept. 8.
Recent festivals have screened upward of 100 films, with as many as 24 in competition.
The final selections for the 69th annual edition were made from more than 1,400 feature films and 1,700 short films previewed.
“Passion,” a French-German production starring Noomi Rapace and Rachel McAdams, is De Palma’s first film since “Redacted” in 2007. Malick’s “To the Wonder” is a romance that also stars McAdams, along with Ben Affleck, Javier Bardem and Rachel Weisz.
Other American films that will be in competition are Ramin Bahrani’s “At Any Price” (starring Zac Efron, Dennis Quaid and Heather Graham) and Harmony Korine’s “Spring Breakers” (starring James Franco, Selena Gomez and Vanessa Hudgens).
Other competitors include films from France, Israel, Japan, Italy and the Philippines, among others.
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