The 79th Venice International Film Festival capped off its final days with a flurry of premieres and celebrity red carpet appearances.
Michelle Zyuryaeva’s special coverage for The Coast captures all of the highlights from one of the world’s oldest and most renowned film fests.
September 2
The festival marked its third day Friday, with enthusiastic crowds waiting since early in the morning for the arrival of actor Timothée Chalamet for the premiere of in-competition film Bones and All by Italian director Luca Guadagnino. The all-star cast includes Chloë Sevigny, Mark Rylance and Canadian actress Taylor Russel (Waves, Words on Bathroom Walls, Escape Room), who graced the red carpet with a very glamorous presence.
Chalamet, known for his funky and glamorous red carpet outfits, stepped out in a bold shiny red jumpsuit made by designer Haider Ackermann. The waiting crowd was the largest for any of this year’s Venice premieres up to that point.
The Bones and All premiere drew a star-studded audience, including British actor Nicholas Hoult (The Favourite, comedy/drama series The Great), American actresses Sydney Sweeney (Euphoria), Camila Mendes (Riverdale) and British actress Eleanor Tomlinson (Poldark).
The previous evening saw the premiere of in-competition drama Un Couple, about the relationship of Leo Tolstoy and his wife Sophia from director Frederick Wiseman, who made a lovely appearance on the red carpet with actress Nathalie Boutefeu, who stars as the wife of Tolstoy.
Other premieres included A Compassionate Spy, a documentary by Steve James featuring Ted Hall, Joan Hall, Ruth London, Sarah Hall and Daniel Axelrod. The in-competition film Athena, by Romain Gavras of France, also premiered. The film stars Dali Benssalah, Sami Slimane, Anthony Bajon, Ouassini Embarek and Alexis Manenti.
September 3
Saturday marked the fourth day of the festival and was packed full premieres of films in the in-competition selection, starting in the afternoon with All The Beauty and the Bloodshed by Laura Poitras; Monica by Andrea Pallaoro, starring Trace Lysette, Patricia Clarkson, Anna Paquin, Adriana Barraza, Emily Browning and Joshua Close; the in-competition film Argentina by Santiago Mitre, with Ricardo Darin, Peter Lanzani, Alejandra Flechner, Santiago Armas, Carlos Portaluppi and Laura Parades; and The Pearl, by Ti West and starring Mia Goth and David Corenswet.
The eagerly awaited in-competition film Master Gardener by Paul Schrader also premiered. It stars Joel Edgerton, Sigourney Weaver, Quintessa Swindell and Esai Morales. The premiere also included the presentation of the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement to Schrader.
September 4
The first weekend finished on a high note with the arrival of actress Penélope Cruz for the premiere of L’Immensità by director Emanuele Crialese. Cruz, who won the prestigious Coppa Volpi last year for her performance in Pedro Almodóvar’s Madres Paralelas, made a glamorous and elegant appearance for the red carpet premiere, along with the cast, including actress Luana Giuliani and Vincenzo Amato.
Young actress Sadie Sink (Stranger Things) looked glamorous for her arrival and created huge excitement among the impressive crowd of cheering fans. Her fun energy created an especially upbeat atmosphere for the last premiere of the evening, The Whale.
Director Darren Aranofsky was in attendance, along with actor Brendan Fraser, who stars in the lead role, as well as actress Hong Chau. The Whale is an in-competition film, and a contender for the prestigious award for best film.
The premiere attracted notable guests, actors and models, including actress Laura Harrier (Spider-Man Homecoming), supermodel Irina Shayk and Italian singer Elodie, who debuts in her film Ti Mangio il cuore by Pippo Mezzapesa, which also premiered.
The afternoon saw the premiere of Rebecca Zlotowski’s Les Enfants Des Autres, starring French actress Virginie Éfira, Roschdy Zem and Chiara Mastroianni. The French actress Éfira, who hosted this year's opening and closing ceremonies at the Cannes International Film Festival, looked graceful as she arrived.
September 5
Pop star Harry Styles arrived on the red carpet for the premiere of Don’t Worry Darling. Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably already heard some things about the premiere and other tales from the set of the movie.
Styles looked dashing as he stepped out and conveyed an excited, yet relaxed mood, despite the incredible crowd gathered to see him. Director Olivia Wilde and actress Florence Pugh attended the premiere as fans cheered on, making the evening one to remember. Don’t Worry Darling was screened in the out-of-competition sector.
In the afternoon, we saw the premiere of the film The Banshees of Inisherin, by Martin McDonagh and starring Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon and Barry Keoghan, who were all in attendance and arrived to a film-themed soundtrack.
September 6
Another star-filled day started with the premiere of the in competition film The Eternal Daughter, directed by Joanna Hogg and starring Tilda Swinton and Carly-Sophia Davies.
This was followed by the in-competition Italian film, Lord of the Ants (Il Signore delle Formiche) by director Gianni Amelio and starring Luigi Lo Cascio, Elio Germano, Leonardo Maltese and Sara Serraiocco.
The special event of the evening was the ceremony for the Cartier Glory to the Filmmaker award, which was presented to legendary director Walter Hill. Hill’s films include Wild Bill, The Driver and The Long Riders, which was nominated for the Cannes FIlm Festival Palme d’or. Hill's career spans decades, beginning in the early 1970s, and ranges in style from classic Westerns to action-packed thrillers.
The ceremony opened with an introduction from Alberto Barbera, director of the festival, followed by a tribute to Hill by actor Christoph Waltz, whose personal and witty speech captured the talent and allure of the great director.
As Hill took the stage to receive the award, we were left in awe of his gracious, elegant and dignified presence.
The ceremony was followed by the screening of Hill’s out-of-competition film Dead for A Dollar, a Canadian/US co-production. The star-studded cast includes Waltz, who made a most distinguished appearance on the red carpet, and seasoned actors Willem Dafoe, Benjamin Bratt, Warren Burke and a graceful Rachel Brosnahan, whose appearances drew large cheers from the crowd.
September 7
The dashing Hugh Jackman arrived to an enthusiastic crowd for the premiere of his film The Son, by French director Florian Zeller and starring Anthony Hopkins, Zen McGrath, Laura Dern and Vanessa Kirby. The Son was one of the 21 films in competition for the prestigious Golden Lion for best film.
We also saw the premiere of the in-competition French film Saint Omer, directed by Alice Diop and starring Kayije Kagame, Guslagie Malanda, Valérie Dréville and Aurélie Petit.
The late evening had the premiere of Dreamin’ Wild, an out-of-competition film directed by Bill Pohlad, and starring Casey Affleck, Noah June, Zooey Deschanel, Chris Messina, Walton Goggins and Beau Bridges. Eager fans got to see Affleck and Deschanel on the red carpet.
Brad Pitt, producer of the film Blonde, made a surprise visit to the red carpet looking as handsome as ever in a classic tuxedo. Pitt arrived along with director Andrew Dominik, the elegant Ana de Armas and acclaimed actor Adrian Brody.
Blonde is one of the films in competition for the Golden Lion. The heart-wrenching film, a fictionalized account of the life of Marilyn Monroe, received a standing ovation from the audience.
The outstanding lead performance by de Armas received praise, making her a strong contender for the Coppa Volpi for best actress.
September 8
Highlights included the premiere of Italian director Paolo Virzi’s film Siccità, which is set in Rome, and stars Italian actress Monica Bellucci, who looked stunning as she arrived on the red carpet.
Other premieres included the in-competition film Shan, Dakheli, Divar (Beyond the Wall), directed by Vahid Jalilvand and starring Navid Mohammadzadeh and Amir Aghaei; and The Matchmaker, directed by Benedetta Argentieri.
September 9
This day saw the premieres of many films, including Nuclear by the legendary director Oliver Stone and based on the book A Bright Future: How Some Countries Have Solved Climate Change and the Rest Can Follow, by Joshua S. Goldstein and Staffan A. Qvist.
In-competition films included Khers Nist (No Bears), directed by and starring Jafar Panahi. We also saw Chiara, by Italian director Susanna Nicchiarelli, starring Margherita Mazzucco and Andrea Carpenzano; and Les Miens (Our Ties) by French actor and director Roschdy Zem.
Zem also stars in the in-competition film Les Enfants des Autres, directed by Rebecca Zlotowski, which screened September 4.
The awards
The Venice jury, chaired by Julianne Moore and comprised of Mariano Cohn, Leonardo Di Costanzo, Audrey Diwan, Leila Hatami, Kazuo Ishiguro and Rodrigo Sorogoyen, viewed all 23 in-competition films and decided on the following awards:
Golden Lion for Best Film to:
ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED by Laura Poitras (USA)
Silver Lion – Grand Jury prize to:
SAINT OMER by Alice Diop (France)
Silver Lion – Award for Best Director to:
Luca Guadagnino for the film BONES AND ALL (USA, Italy)
Coppa Volpi for Best Actress:
Cate Blanchett in the film TÁR by Todd Field (USA)
Coppa Volpi for Best Actor:
Colin Farrell in the film THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN by Martin McDonagh (Ireland, UK, USA)
Award for Best Screenplay to:
Martin McDonagh for the film THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN by Martin McDonagh (Ireland, UK, USA)
Special Jury Prize to:
KHERS NIST (NO BEARS) by Jafar Panahi (Iran)
MARCELLO MASTROIANNI AWARD for Best Young Actor or Actress to:
Taylor Russell in the film BONES AND ALL by Luca Guadagnino (USA, Italy)
The ORIZZONTI Jury of the 79th Venice Film Festival, chaired by Isabel Coixet and comprised of Laura Bispuri, Antonio Campos, Sofia Djama and Edouard Waintrop, after screening the 18 feature-length films and 12 short films in competition has decided to award:
ORIZZONTI AWARD FOR BEST FILM to:
Jang-e Jahani Sevom (WORLD WAR III) by Houman Seyedi (Iran)
ORIZZONTI AWARD FOR BEST DIRECTOR
Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel for the film VERA (Austria)
SPECIAL ORIZZONTI JURY PRIZE to:
CHLEB I SÓL (BREAD AND SALT) by Damian Kocur (Poland)
ORIZZONTI AWARD FOR BEST ACTRESS to:
Vera Gemma in the film VERA by Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel (Austria)
ORIZZONTI AWARD FOR BEST ACTOR to:
Mohsen Tanabandeh in the film JANG-E JAHANI SEVOM (WORLD WAR III) by Houman Seyedi (Iran)
ORIZZONTI AWARD FOR BEST SCREENPLAY to:
Fernando Guzzoni for the film BLANQUITA by Fernando Guzzoni (Chile, Mexico, Luxembourg, France, Poland)
ORIZZONTI AWARD FOR BEST SHORT FILM to:
SNOW IN SEPTEMBER by Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir (France, Mongolia)
VENICE SHORT FILM NOMINATION FOR THE EUROPEAN FILM AWARDS 2022 to:
SNOW IN SEPTEMBER by Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir (France, Mongolia)