Two Hungarian films are set to make their debut at the Venice Film Festival: Gábor Reisz’s feature film, Explanation for Everything (Magyarázat mindenre), and Dorka Vermes’ first cinematic work, Arni, will be showcased at the prestigious film festival, as reported by Magyar Nemzet.
The Venice Film Festival, or Venice International Film Festival, is an annual event held in Venice, Italy. It holds the distinction of being the world’s oldest film festival and is considered one of the ‘Big Five’ international film festivals, alongside the Cannes, Berlin, Toronto, and the Sundance film festivals. These festivals are renowned for appreciating filmmakers for their artistic freedom to express themselves through their work.
The 80th Venice International Film Festival commenced with the screening of Italian director Edoardo De Angelis’ World War II submarine drama, Comandante, on Wednesday night.
Gábor Reisz’s third feature film, Explanation for Everything, is also part of the official programme.
Additionally, Dorka Vermes’ debut feature, Arni, will be presented in the College Cinema section. On the festival’s opening day, the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement will be bestowed upon Italian director and screenwriter Liliana Cavani.
The Competition programme, comprising 23 films, includes new works from several American directors such as David Fincher, Sofia Coppola, Ava DuVernay, Michael Mann, Bradley Cooper, and Wes Anderson. It also features strong selections from Europe, Latin America, and Asia. The international jury for the Golden Lion Grand Prize is chaired by Damien Chazelle, an Oscar winner for California Dream. Reisz’s film will be screened in the Orizzonti section of the festival, offering a realistic portrayal of a divided country through the story of an 18-year-old boy’s secondary school graduation exam that ends in scandal.
Dorka Vermes’ inaugural feature film, Arni, which revolves around a travelling circus handyman, received support from the Venice Biennale and was developed as part of the Biennale College Cinema programme. Notably, the Venice Film Festival often showcases movies with strong potential for the Oscars, with eight out of the eleven recent Oscar winners making their Venice debuts, including Chazelle’s California Dream. Alberto Barbera, the festival’s artistic director, expressed his expectation that David Fincher, Bradley Cooper, or Sofia Coppola might be contenders for this year’s Oscars.
David Fincher is in the running with the thriller The Killer, featuring Michael Fassbender in the lead role as a hitman. Bradley Cooper presents Maestro, a film about the world-famous conductor Leonard Bernstein, whom he portrays. Sofia Coppola brings Priscilla to the city of gondolas, a film based on the memoirs of Elvis Presley’s wife.
The festival will also showcase new films by Woody Allen, Luc Besson, and Roman Polanski. Besson presents DogMan, Allen offers his first French-language work, Coup de Chance, and Polanski delivers his comedy, The Palace. The 80th Venice International Film Festival will conclude on 9 September.
Related articles:
Sources: Hungarian Conservative/Magyar Nemzet
