International Insider: Venice Roars To Life; Release Calendar Shuffle; International Oscar Race; Series Mania Wrap

Kenneth Branagh‘s autographical period piece “Belfast” was already the toast of the 2021 Telluride Film Festival earlier this month. Now, its Oscar hopes for a Best Picture nomination now seem assured after capturing the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival People’s Choice Award.

Jamie Lang Spain has selected a high profile trio of films as finalists for the country’s 2021 International Feature Oscar submission.The favorite, at least at this early stage, is Pedro Almodóvar’s “Madres paralelas,” which just saw lead Penelope Cruz take the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival.

Are you old enough to remember when Netflix was an underdog in international film festivals? When trepidation towards the future of film distribution was enough to keep streaming titles from winning in major film competitions? With all due respect to the Cannes Film Festival, those days certainly seem to be coming to an end. The Venice Film Festival has announced its lineup of winners, and Netflix has made quite a show for itself in the major categories.

Penelope Cruz and Maggie Gyllenhaal are two of the big winners at the 2021 Venice Film Festival!

JURY AWARDSGolden Lion for Best Film: “Happening,” Audrey DiwanSilver Lion (Grand Jury Prize): “The Hand of God,” Paolo SorrentinoSilver Lion for Best Director: Jane Campion, “The Power of the Dog”Coppa Volpi for Best Actor: John Arcilla, “On the Job: The Missing 8”Coppa Volpi for Best Actress: Penelopé Cruz, “Parallel Mothers”Award for Best Screenplay: “The Lost Daughter,” Maggie Gyllenhaal Special Jury Prize: “Il Buco,” Michelangelo FrammartinoMarcello Mastroianni Award for Best New Young

Matt Damon and Penelope Cruz had a run-in in Venice today!

Clayton Davis The streaming platforms are gearing up for another attempt to win the Academy’s affections. Though a streamer has yet to win the big best picture prize, Netflix has assembled a strong slate this year, at least judging by the reception at the Telluride Film Festival.

Penelope Cruz is attending another 2021 Venice Film Festival premiere!

There are shades of Ruben Ostlund’s “The Square”, if it were remade to target the film world, in Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat’s crowd-pleasing Spanish comedy “Official Competition” starring Penélope Cruz and Antonio Banderas. Controlled pacing, visual punchlines, and an insider knowledge of the varied pretensions within filmmaking make this a consistently amusing – if never downright hilarious – vehicle for the well-honed comic sides of two of Spain’s most famous exports.

Official Competition (Competencia Oficial) announces its meta intentions with its very title. Here is a Venice Film Festival competitor about the making of a festival film. Lampooning the very world in which it exists, the Spanish comedy-drama is a highly entertaining entry with winning performances from Penelope Cruz, Antonio Banderas and Oscar Martínez.

Penelope Cruz and Antonio Banderas are all smiles at the 2021 Venice Film Festival!

EXCLUSIVE: Ahead of its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, Protagonist Pictures has closed a UK all rights deal with Curzon for Spanish-language pic Official Competition starring Antonio Banderas, Penelope Cruz and Oscar Martínez.

th edition, stars kicked off the opening night as they mean to go on, with a generous helping of high octane glamour. The first evening saw the premiere of Madres Paralelas, a film about motherhood starring Penélope Cruz, who looked chic as ever in a navy and cream tulle Chanel couture gown.

Kirsten Dunst and Benedict Cumberbatch are generating a lot of awards buzz with their new movie The Power of the Dog!

The ghost of a legendary cowboy named Bronco Henry haunts “The Power of the Dog,” an evocative, sensory psychodrama set in the American West of the 1920s. While Bronco is long gone and never seen on the screen, his spirit is felt everywhere in this soulful exploration of masculinity and repressed love, one that is equal parts untamed and delicate and wholly gorgeous.

Roberto Benigni is feeling the love.

Co-stars Kirsten Dunst and Benedict Cumberbatch pose for photos together at the photo call for The Power of Dog on Thursday (September 2) in Venice, Italy.

going on envy-inducing holidays. Before we know exactly what the celebs will wear for the world's oldest and most glamorous red carpet, let's take a look back at the very best fashion moments from the Venice Film Festival.