With promising film lineups, the Venice Film Festival 2024 is here with its evergreen glory. Read below to learn more about what happened at this prestigious event this year.
From promising film lineups to exquisitely dressed celebrities on the red carpet, the 81st annual Venice Film Festival was held from 28 August to 7 September 2024, Venice Lido in Italy. The festival opened with Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice on 28 August 2024 and closed with Pupi Avati’s The American Backyard on 7 September 2024. From fashion statements made on the red carpet to standing ovations films got rewarded with, here is everything important you need to know about what happened in this prestigious event by reading this blog, curated by our team at Wedding Affair only for you.
17-Minute Heaven for ‘The Room Next Door’
Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar’s latest film, which is also his first English language film ‘The Room Next Door‘, starring Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton, premiered at Venice Film Festival 2024 with a thundering 17-minute standing ovation. The film later won the prestigious Golden Lion award too on Saturday.
Back in the Kidman Era
The mercurial actor, Nicole Kidman has won the best actress award at the Venice Film Festival for ‘The Babygirl’ and continues to prove her worth as an exceptional actress by experimenting with her jaw-dropping and genre-jumping roles. Unfortunately, Nicole Kidman’s festival experience was short-lived due to the tragic loss of her mother. She had to leave without accepting her award. Later, the movie director, Halina Rejin, accepted the award on her behalf and dedicated it to Kidman’s mother.
Return of Eroticism
The return of eroticism in cinema was the highlight of the Venice Film Festival with films like ‘Queer’ and ‘The Babygirl’. As noted by artistic director Alberto Barbera, these films explored bold themes of sexuality, vulnerability, and personal freedom, reflecting on the evolved cinema trends and the audience’s appetite for artistic liberty.
Pitt-Clooney Bromance
Awaited for a 16-year long period on screen, the dynamic duo of Brad Pitt and George Clooney failed to impress the critics with their film ‘Wolfs’, by earning just two stars. Critics labelled the film as painfully underwhelming lacking the charm that was expected from these stars of such high calibre. Although failed to impress the critics, the bromance between the two actors was the spectacular highlight of the Venice Film Festival this year.
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‘Joker’ Is Back Again
The buzziest title for this year’s Venice Film Festival was ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’. For the sequel to 2019’s ‘Joker’, they turned this psychological thriller Golder Award Winning piece into a semi-musical. Lady Gaga joined director Todd Phillips and Joaquin Phoenix and complimented the title actor with her stellar performance in the movie. While speaking to the media, Lady Gaga revealed her reason for choosing to come on board with this film was her sheer love and dedication towards the first film which deeply moved her. Later, the power-packed star duo of Phoenix and Gaga talked about the process of preparation they took for the movie highlighting their dedication to their work as artists.
Angelina Jolie
Pablo Larrain’s film, ‘Maria’, premiered at this year’s Film Festival, featuring Angelina Jolie in the title role of the opera deity in her last days. Although stiffly scripted by Steven Knight, this movie fails to impress the critics and leave an impression on the audience but embarks as one of the applaudable roles Angelina Jolie experimented with and left an underwhelming but true to her stature- iconic performance on screen.
Female Icons
The competition at this year’s Venice Film Festival was rich in impressive female leads. From actors like Lady Gaga, Nicole Kidman, and Angelina Jolie delivering their stellar performances as leads to Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton bonding for Almodóvar, this year’s Venice Film Festival was all about celebrating the range of performances these artists rewarded the audience with.
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With great films, amazing performances, fantastic fashion and memorable moments to talk about, the 81st edition of the Venice Film Festival was an absolute treat to watch for all the film buffs all around the world.
