The 72nd Venice Film Festival
had a sky-high opening night Wednesday with the showing in 3D of
Everest, and the presence of Italian President Sergio
Mattarella, who said he didn't want to talk about politics but
"only cinema".
"I wish my best to cinema, to the four Italian directors in
competition, but also to the foreigners. I love films, classic
and contemporary, those of the new generations," Mattarella
said, accompanied by Culture Minister Dario Franceschini.
Jury president Alfonso Cuaron encouraged a spirit of
tolerance, referencing Europe's current immigration crisis.
"I'm a Mexican who lives in Europe and I've always felt
welcome. I'd like that same hospitality to one day be extended
here to all immigrants," Cuaron said.
Festival hostess Elisa Sednaoui, an Italian-Egyptian former
model, echoed a similar sentiment.
"With its universal language, besides making us dream,
cinema can help in mutual understanding to overcome intolerance
and misunderstandings between peoples. We're here for
excitement, inspiration, fun, and even maybe to learn how to
better the world," Sednaoui said.
This sense of curiosity and discovery was also present in
the choice of the two other jury presidents for this year's
festival: Jonathan Demme for the Horizons category, and Saverio
Costanzo for First Works - Lions of the Future.
The opening night screening was a 3D projection of Everest,
by Icelandic director Baltasar Kormakur and starring Jake
Gyllenhaal, Josh Brolin, Jason Clarke, and Emily Watson, in the
true story of a disastrous 1996 expedition to the world's
tallest mountain that ended with eight deaths.
Following the screening, the attendants (with the exception
of Mattarella) headed to a beachfront dinner at the Hotel
Excelsior.
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