La Presse at the 79th Venice Film Festival | Echoes of the Lido

Bulk news from the 79^e Venice Film Festival.

Marc-Andre Lussier
The Press

Julianne Moore, President

Accompanied by six other personalities, including filmmaker Audrey Diwan, winner of the Golden Lion last year thanks to The event, Julianne Moore appeared before the press on Wednesday as president of the jury, a role she assumes with astonishment. “The first time I came to Venice, in 1986, I was playing in a soap opera,” she said. If I had been told then that I would one day preside over the jury, I would no doubt have fallen into the channel! The actress, who counts among her many laurels an interpretation prize obtained at the Mostra in 2002, thanks to her performance in far from heaven (Todd Haynes), has also pointed out that all discussions about the future of cinema revolve around its industry. “But the most important thing is the creation and the stories we tell. This is what we celebrate in Venice. »

Netflix, yes, but not only…

In 2015, the Venice Film Festival was the first major film event to invite a film produced by Netflix into its official competition. Since the presentation of Beasts of No Nation (Cary Fukunaga), a lot of water has flowed under the Rialto Bridge. This year, no fewer than four films acquired by the online broadcaster can claim the Golden Lion, the Mostra’s supreme award. “This does not mean that Netflix has won the war against the traditional theatrical distribution system,” said Alberto Barbera, artistic director of the festival, to The Hollywood Reporter. But we are certainly in a moment of transition. Our only selection criterion remains the quality of a film. Netflix submitted a few to us; we didn’t take them all. »

COVID-19? Where ?

Once the pandemic was declared, in 2020, the Mostra was the only major international film festival held face-to-face, thanks to the health measures put in place. The borders being then practically closed, the craftsmen and the international journalists had however not been able to go there. The Golden Lion, awarded to nomadland, was also given in the absence of director Chloé Zhao. Last year, a return to an almost normal situation with, however, still very strict measures (requirement of proof of vaccination, wearing of a mask at all times, taking of temperature before entering the site, rooms 50% full, etc.). This year ? None of this exists anymore. The festival is running at full speed, and apart from the “strong recommendation” to wear a mask during screenings (which almost no one follows), the only place where wearing a face covering remains compulsory is the shuttle transporting festival-goers between Piazza San Marco and the Lido…