Venice 83: Moretti in competition after 37 years, Gyllenhaal to head the jury

The programme of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, running from September 2 to 12 at the Lido, was completed in the afternoon with details that this morning’s press conference alone had not yet fully clarified. The information comes from the official statement of the Biennale di Venezia, picked up by several outlets: however, this is a single primary source, the Biennale itself, and we state this openly.

Among the 21 feature films competing for the Golden Lion are five Italian productions, including the return of Nanni Moretti 37 years after “Palombella rossa” was excluded, his last presence in the lagoon dating back to 1989. The director of the Mostra, Alberto Barbera, has publicly linked this return to that near four-decade absence.

The international jury that will award the prizes will be chaired by Maggie Gyllenhaal, while the Golden Lions for Lifetime Achievement will go to George Clooney and Ellen Burstyn. The festival will open with “Ink” by Danny Boyle, dedicated to the figure of Rupert Murdoch, and will close out of competition with “Dio ride” by Giovanni Veronesi. The opening and closing ceremonies will be hosted by actress Greta Scarano, godmother of this edition.

The Out of Competition section is completed by “Scherzetto” by Mario Martone, “Nessun dolore” by Gianni Amelio and the documentary “Musk” by Alex Gibney. Added to these is a seven-hour work by Luca Guadagnino dedicated to director Bernardo Bertolucci, while Al Pacino will be among the expected attendees at the Lido as part of the same section.

The overall picture emerging in the afternoon thus confirms an edition built on a dual register: the main competition, with the return of an author absent for nearly forty years, and an Out of Competition section that blends documentaries, auteur portraits and international star presences.