La La Land, written and directed by Damien Chazelle (Whiplash) and starring Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling, John Legend and J. K. Simmons (supporting actor Oscar winner for Whiplash) will open the 73rd Venice Film festival on August 31, organisers said Friday. The fest, directed by Alberto Barbera and organised by the Biennale under Paolo Baratta, runs until September 10. "La La Land is a surprising tribute to the golden age of American musicals, from An American in Paris by Vincent Minnelli to New York, New York by Martin Scorsese," said Festival director Barbera. "It is a film that does not merely reinvent the musical genre, it gives it a brand new start. If Whiplash was the revelation of a new filmmaker, La La Land is his definitive, albeit precocious, consecration among the great directors of Hollywood's new firmament." Damien Chazelle said "On behalf of the cast and crew of La La Land, I am both thrilled and honored by the festival's invitation. It is deeply humbling for us to join the company of their previous opening night films, and we could not be more excited to share our movie with the audience in Venice".
photo: Chazelle
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