14 foreign films vying with Italian 4 in Venice

(ANSA) - VENICE, SEP 2 - Fourteen foreign films are vying with four from Italy for the Golden Lion at this year's 77th annual Venice Film Festival which kicks off on Wednesday night and runs until September 12.
    Defending Italy's colours are PADRENOSTRO by Claudio Noce, MISS MARX by Susanna Nicchiarelli, NOTTURNO di Gianfranco Rosi and LE SORELLE MACALUSO by Emma Dante.
    Here are the overseas contenders: WIFE OF SPY by Kiyoshi Kurosawa.
    AND TOMORROW THE ENTIRE WORLD byJulius Von Heinz NUEVO ORDEN by Michel Franco QUO VADIS, AIDA? by Jasmila Zbanic SUN CHILDREN by Majid Majidi LAILA IN HAIFA by Amos Gitai DEAR COMPANIONS! by Andrei Konchalovsky NOMADLAND by Chloé Zhao PIECES OF A WOMAN byKornél Mundruczó NEVER GONNA SNOW by Malgorzata Szumowska THE WORLD TO COME by Mona Fastvold LOVERS by Nicole Garcia THE DISCIPLE by Chaitanya Tamhane IN BETWEEN DYING by Hilal Baydarov This year's jury is chaired by Cate Blanchett.
    Italian actress Anna Foglietta is the host.
    It will be a COVID-safe event, organisers say.
    Lacci, directed by Daniele Luchetti (La nostra vita, Mio fratello è figlio unico, Il portaborse) starring Alba Rohrwacher, Luigi Lo Cascio, Laura Morante, Silvio Orlando, Giovanna Mezzogiorno, Adriano Giannini, and Linda Caridi is the Opening Film, Out of Competition, of the 77th Venice International Film Festival (2 September - 12 September 2020) directed by Alberto Barbera and organized by La Biennale di Venezia.
    "Recently, we have all feared that cinema might become extinct," says Daniele Luchetti. "Yet during the quarantine it gave us comfort, like a light gleaming in a cavern. Today we have understood something else: that films, television series, novels, are indispensable in our lives. Long live festivals, then, which allow us to come together to celebrate the true meaning of our work. If anyone thought it served no purpose, they now know it is important to everyone. With Lacci I am honoured to open the dances of the first great festival in unexpected times".
    "It's been eleven years since the Venice International Film Festival was opened by an Italian film." says Alberto Barbera.
    "This happy opportunity was offered by the wonderful film directed by Daniele Luchetti, an anatomy of a married couple's problematic coexistence, as they struggle with infidelity, emotional blackmail, suffering and guilt, with an added mystery that is not revealed until the end. Supported by an outstanding cast, the film is also a sign of the promising phase in Italian cinema today, continuing the positive trend seen in recent years, which the quality of the films invited to Venice this year will surely confirm".
    Naples, early 1980s: the marriage between Aldo and Vanda begins to break down when Aldo falls in love with young Lidia. Thirty years later, Aldo and Vanda are still married. A mystery about feelings, a story of loyalty and faithlessness, of resentment and shame. Betrayal, pain, a secret box, a home laid waste, a cat, the voice of people in love and that of people out of love.
    From the novel by Domenico Starnone, one of the New York Times' 100 notable books of 2017, this is the new film by Daniele Luchetti.
    Lacci will be screened Wednesday September 2nd, in the Sala Grande at the Palazzo del Cinema on the Lido di Venezia, on the opening night of the 77th Venice Film Festival. Produced by IBC Movie with Rai Cinema, Lacci was written by Domenico Starnone, Francesco Piccolo and Daniele Luchetti.
    Joining Blachett on the jury will be Austrian director Veronika Franz ("Goodnight Mommy," "The Lodge"), British filmmaker Joanna Hogg ("The Souvenir"), Italian writer and novelist Nicola Lagioia, German filmmaker Christian Petzold ("Phoenix," "Barbara"), US actor Matt Dillon ("Rumble Fish", "Crash"), and French actress Ludivine Sagnier ("Swimming Pool," "8 Women").
    Together, they will award the festival's top prizes, including the Golden Lion, which last year went to "Joker" under jury president Lucrecia Martel.
    Meaning, in the Orizzonti, or Horizons, section running parallel to the main competition, French favorite Claire Denis ("High Life," "Beau Travail") will lead the jury comprised of Oskar Alegria (Spain), Francesca Comencini (Italy), Katriel Schory (Israel), and Christine Vachon (USA). (ANSA).