The world’s oldest surviving film festival is getting underway in Venice – the 72nd edition of what’s locally called La Mostra brings with it 11
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The world’s oldest surviving film festival is getting underway in Venice – the 72nd edition of what’s locally called La Mostra brings with it 11 days of red carpets, parties and premiers …
Any unfavourable comparisons with its younger rival the Toronto International Film Festival which opens next week are firmly dismissed by Venice’s Artistic Director Alberto Barbera:
“I’m doing a festival which is completely different from Toronto. They have 300 feature films, we have no more than 55 feature films so it is a different type of a festival. We do a very limited selection of films. I prefer quality instead of quantity.”
As a prelude there were two real gems screened – Orson Welles’ Othello and what was believed lost, his Merchant of Venice.
But the competition proper of 21 films vying for the golden Lion opens with Everest – a high altitude real life thriller.
Highlights
“Everest” starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Keira Knightley.
“The Danish Girl” starring Oscar winner, Eddie Redmayne.
“Equals” starring Kristen Stewart and Nicholas Hoult.
For more on what’s featuring at the festival: