66th Venice International Film Festival

The 66th International Film Festival of Venice ( 66th Mostra Internazionale d' Arte Cinematografica ) were held until September 12, 2009 by the second. 3859 films (including 2519 movies) from 74 countries applied for participation in the festival, which is one of the three most important film festivals in the world. In the main section, the Competition ( Venezia 66), 25 feature length films competed for the Golden Lion, the top prize of the festival. This won the Israeli Lebanon by Samuel Maoz contribution.

The festival was opened with the Italian competition entry Baaria - La porta del vento, an autobiographical epic of Giuseppe Tornatore, was in turn followed the Spanish horror film shown out of competition [Rec ] 2 Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza, the continuation of [● REC] (2007). As a graduation film you chose the Chinese contribution Chengdu, wo ai ni ( Chengdu, I Love You ) by Fruit Chan and Cui Jian, who was also shown out of competition. The Italian actress Maria Grazia Cucinotta hosted the opening and closing ceremony.

Before the start of the film festival criticism of the selection Marco Müller was expressed, the artistic director of the Venice Film Festival. After the studied sinologist had often invited Asian film productions in previous years, run mostly Italian films (24 ), followed by U.S. productions (17 ) at the 66th edition. Despite criticism Müller described the program as his " desire Festival ". Unlike the previous editions, it was moved a week later. This would have been held in the same period as the key for the North American market Toronto International Film Festival. The Canadian tour operator then laid the launch of their festivals also by a week.

As part of the Film Festival, a Golden Lion for lifetime achievement for any film-makers will be awarded on a regular basis. In early May, the winner was announced: the directors of the U.S. animation studios Pixar Animation Studios by John Lasseter. Thus, the prize was first awarded not only to an individual filmmakers. Lasseter took the Golden Lion on September 6 in the presence of Brad Bird, Pete Docter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich contrary. Also a special award, the Jaeger- LeCoultre Glory to the Filmmaker Award, the American actor and filmmaker Sylvester Stallone was honored.

Official sections

In the four sections of the film festival a total of 75 films were shown. 71 which celebrated its world premiere.

Competition

Jury

Jury president was the Taiwanese - American director Ang Lee, who was in 2005 and 2007 was awarded the Golden Lion for the films Brokeback Mountain and Lust, Caution.

He was assisted by six other members of the jury:

• Sergei Bodrov, Russian film director
• Sandrine Bonnaire, French actress and director ( Actor Award in Venice 1995)
• Liliana Cavani, Italian film director
• Joe Dante, American film director
• Anurag Kashyap, Indian film director
• Luciano Ligabue, an Italian musician, writer and director

Movies

In the 25 feature-length films have been shown at all are world premieres. Seven of the films were produced in the United States, four films were from France and Italy.

After last year, the German directors Christian Petzold ( Jerichow ) and Werner Schroeter ( Nuit de chien ) were represented unsuccessful in competition for the Golden Lion, 2009, three German -speaking filmmakers competed for the top prize. Fatih Akın was present with his home movie Soul Kitchen. The German director of Turkish origin had already received for his comedy about the demise of specialty restaurants an invitation to compete in the Cannes Film Festival in May, but this can not be followed because of the pending post production. The Austrian Jessica Hausner competed with her ​​feature film Lourdes, which was created in the same Wallfahrtsohrt. The drama was about a paralyzed woman (played by the Frenchwoman Sylvie Testud ), who happens to a surprising cure this but skeptical about. The German director Werner Herzog received for his American production Bad Lieutenant: an invitation to Venice Port of Call New Orleans. In the thriller it was a remake of Abel Ferrara's film of the same from the year 1992. With My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done Duke also presented a " surprise film ", which was announced during the festival on September 4. In order for a director was represented by two films in competition for the first time. Was financed with German money Women Without Men, the first feature film of Iranian-born video artist Shirin Neshat. The drama told from the upheaval of Persia in the 1950s.

With Capitalism: A Love Story for the first time in the history of the festival, a documentary was included in the competition program. This comes from the American filmmaker and Academy Award winner Michael Moore and dealing with the current financial crisis. Moore's compatriot, the fashion designer Tom Ford, received an invitation for his debut film A Single Man. In the center of the drama a living in Los Angeles English professor is (played by Colin Firth ) who is confronted with the death of his life partner. Besides Neshat and Ford introduced the Italian Giuseppe Capotondi (La doppia ora ), the Egyptian Ahmed Maher ( Al Mosafer ) and the Israeli-born Samuel Maoz ( Lebanon ), also their first feature films before. With Patrice Chéreau ( Persécution ), Duke, Michele Placido ( Il grande sogno ), Todd Solondz (Life During Wartime ) and Giuseppe Tornatore ( Baaria - La porta del vento ) were only five of the 24 directors at least once in the competition for the Golden Lion. Two days before the end of the film festival was announced in competition with the Philippine contribution Lola by Brillante Mendoza, another surprise film.

* = Surprise film, which was announced during the contest.

Award winners

• Golden Lion: Lebanon by Samuel Maoz
• Silver Lion - Best Director: Shirin Neshat ( Zanan bedun -e mardan )
• Special Jury Prize: Soul Kitchen by Fatih Akın
• Coppa Volpi - Best Actor: Colin Firth (A Single Man )
• Coppa Volpi - Best Actress: Xenia Rappoport (La doppia ora )
• Marcello Mastroianni - Price: Jasmine Trinca ( Il grande sogno )
• Osella - Best technical performance: Sylvie Olivé ( Design for Mr. Nobody )
• FIPRESCI Award: Lourdes by Jessica Hausner

Orizzonti

The section Orizzonti, the " new ways and means " dedicated to the worldwide film and want to advertise, especially for unconventional films that showed 16 games and seven documentaries and another film as a " surprise film " in the course of the festival on 11 September was announced. It was Woo Ming Jin's Woman on Fire Looks for Water.

In the international jury of the Spanish director Pere Portabella presided. The other jury members were:

• Gina Kim, Korean- American director
• Bady Minck, Luxembourg filmmaker and artist
• Garin Nugroho, Indonesian director
• Gianfranco Rosi, Italian - American director

Like every year, prices in the two competition sections were awarded feature films and documentaries. The Feature Film won the Philippine contribution Engkwentro, an honorable mention went to Aadmi ki aurat aur anya kahaniya from India. As the opening film of the Romanian contribution Francesca was selected.

Movies

* = Surprise film, which was announced during the contest.

Documentary

Corto Cortissimo

In the series Corto Cortissimo 18 short films were shown with a length of up to 30 minutes. As Eventi six short films in addition to the films that will compete for awards shown.

About the Awards in the section a jury chaired by the American filmmaker Stuart Gordon. The other members of the jury were the American film scholar and archivist Steve Ricci and Russian actress, critic and festival director Sitora Aliyeva. The jury awarded on September 10, the Corto - Cortissimo Lion in front of the South African Post Firstborn by Etienne Kallos. Received honorable mention by the Georgian director Salomé Aleksi ( Felicità ), while the nomination for the European Film Prize 2009 to the Israeli Meni Philip ( Sinner ) went.

Controcampo Italiano

The festival section Controcampo Italiano should follow with their movies, the latest developments of Italian cinema. The Italian jury over by the director Carlo Lizzani, who was supported by his colleagues Giulio Questi and the journalist and film critic Marina Sanna. As Eventi retrospective and three other films were shown, but not participate in the competition. As the opening film of the feature film Dieci inverni was selected.

The award went to Susanna Nicchiarellis feature film Cosmonauta. The company Kodak awarded to the winner also footage (35 - or 16 - mm film ) worth 40,000 euros for the creation of a new feature film.

More Awards

As part of the Venice Film Festival more awards were presented.

The Premio Luigi De Laurentiis missed a jury headed by director Haile Gerima, together with the directors Ramin Bahrani (USA), Gianni Di Gregorio (Italy ), Antoine Fuqua (USA) and the British artist Sam Taylor Wood. The award honored the best debut film of a director (Lion of the Future ), all sections had to be considered. The prize was awarded the Philippine contribution Engkwentro by Pepe Diokno ( section Orizzonti ).

The Persol 3- D Award, named after a sponsor of the film festival, was first awarded to a 3D movie. The competition was open only works that were produced between September 2008 and August 2009. From the artistic director of the Venice Film Festival, the Italian 3D director Nadia Ranocchi and the American critic Scott Foundas and Dave Kehr have been appointed to a jury. Was Award-winning thriller The Hole by Joe Dante.

Regardless of the Film Festival hosted the Sindacato Nazionale critici Cinematografici Italiani with the International Critics' Week (SIC ) and the Associazione Nazionale authoritarianism Cinematografici ( ANAC ) in collaboration with the Associazione authoritarianism e Produttori Indipendenti ( API) two separate film series. The Italian Film Critics Association drew Choi Voi Thac Chuyen Bui as the best film.

Films out of competition

Like every year, in 2009 numerous films outside the competition divisions are shown. In addition to [Rec ] 2 and Chengdu, wo ai ni present some well-known filmmakers their works to the public for the first time: the U.S. director Steven Soderbergh showed the film The Informant! with Matt Damon in the title role. In the series Cinema del presente Oliver Stone presented his new documentary South of the Border, in the series Mezzanotte Antoine Fuqua's crime drama ran Brooklyn 's Finest starring Richard Gere, Don Cheadle and Ethan Hawke in the lead roles. Was also premiered Sherry Hormann's Desert Flower, the screen adaptation of the life story of coming from Somalia Models Waris Dirie.