Venice Film Festival chief Alberto Barbera won’t announce the Lido line-up until next week, but certain films are all but locked in for premieres at the festival. And which movies lead that pack? Well, it’s a bevy of titles from U.S. studios and streamers, with Netflix leading the charge (as per usual for the last few years).
Variety reports that the popular U.S. streamer likely has three high-profile titles premiering at Venice next month — and Netflix needs these movies to make a mark after their year so far. Andrew Dominik’s biopic “Blonde,” which stars Ana de Armas as Marilyn Monroe, likely leads for the streamer. But Netflix’s other probable films in competition are no slouches either: Noah Baumbach’s adaptation of Don Delillo’s 1985 novel “White Noise” and Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s “Bardo, False Chronicle Of A Handful Of Truths.”
“Bardo” is Iñárritu’s first film since 2015’s “The Revenant,” and about a Mexican filmmaker going through an existential crisis. As for “White Noise”? Well, it’s only one of the most critically regarded American novels of the latter half of the 20th century. Delillo’s novel is in good hands with Baumbach at the helm. Romain Gavra’s modern tragedy “Athena” may also be another Netflix film at the festival.
A bunch of other American-made films are a lock for the festival, too. Oliva Wilde’s sophomore effort, “Don’t Worry Darling,” starring Florence Pugh and Harry Styles, will almost certainly be at Venice for Warner Bros. Focus Features likely premieres Todd Field’s musician biopic “Tár” with Cate Blanchett at the festival, too. A Venice regular, Blanchett led the festival’s jury in 2020, so expect considerable fanfare for “Tár.” And MGM, now under Amazon ownership, has Luca Guadagnino’s cannibal love story “Bones And All” with Timothée Chalamet and Taylor Russell ready for a world premiere.
Paul Schrader’s up for a Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at Venice this year, so expect “The Master Gardener” to premiere, albeit out of competition. Schrader’s latest stars Joel Edgerton as a horticulturist whose shady past emerges when his troubled niece visits him at the estate of his wealthy employer, played by Sigourney Weaver.
A slate of foreign films may also have their premieres at Venice this year. Amazon may premiere its first Argentinian original film, the political “1985,” from Santiago Mitre. The movie follows the true story of a lawyer who leads an inexperienced legal team against the leaders of Argentina’s military dictatorship. Italian director Andrea Pallaoro’s transgender drama “Monica” is a certainty for the festival. That movie stars “Transparent” actor Trace Lysette as a transgender woman who returns home to the Midwest to care for her dying mother, played by Patricia Clarkson.
Other films that might premiere in Venice this year include Iranian director Jafar Panahi’s “No Bears,” Rebecca Zlotowski’s “Les Enfants Des Autres,” and Alice Diop’s fiction feature debut “Saint Omer.” Emanuele Crialese’s “L’Immensitá” with Penelope Cruz may also premiere, as might Gianni Amelio’s “Il Signore Dell Formiche,” a biopic about Italian poet and playwright Aldo Braibanti. Notable possible premieres from Asian countries include “Walk Up” from South Korean director Hong Sang Woo, “Love Life” from Japanese auteur Koji Fukada, and Takeshi Kitano’s “Kubi,” which Kitano adapts from his 2019 novel of the same name.
Don’t expect Barbera to announce all of these movies next week, but expect enough of them that the 75th iteration of Venice is one of the best festivals in recent memory.