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Marta Balaga “Holy Spider” breakout Zar Amir Ebrahimi and Guy Nattiv are set to make history with “Tatami,” the first feature co-directed by an Iranian and an Israeli filmmaker. Premiering in Venice Film Festival’s Horizons section, “Tatami” shows Iranian female judo fighter Leila (played by “The L Word: Generation Q” star Arienne Mandi) heading to the world championships with her coach Maryam (Ebrahimi). Soon, they receive an ultimatum: in order to avoid squaring off against an Israeli opponent, Leila should immediately fake an injury and drop out.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “City of Wind” depicts a version of Mongolian everyday life that is both traditional and modern. Ulaanbaatar is shown as messy and sprawlingly urban in a fashion that will be familiar to millions of city dwellers in Asia — even if there are yurts in the front garden. Presented in Venice’s Horizons section, and then Toronto, “City” starts as a story of a shaman, who is still of school age.

Mads Mikkelsen and his son Carl Jacobsen Mikkelsen make quite a dashing pair!

When it comes to the 80th edition of the Venice Film Festival, there’s any number of in-competition titles that could win the coveted Golden Lion. But a top sleeper pick may be Ava DuVernay‘s “Origin,” which has its world premiere on the Lido on September 6.

In Richard Linklater’s “Hit Man,” truth proves stranger than fiction. Based on Skip Hollandsworth’s Texas Monthly piece of the same name from 2001, Linklater’s newest film follows Glen Powell as Gary Johnson, a man so good at pretending to be someone else he could convince clients he was a cold-blooded contract killer.

Marta Balaga Mika Gustafson’s “Paradise Is Burning” – sold by Italy’s Intramovies and previously known as “Sisters” – has debuted a trailer and exclusive first clip ahead of its premiere in Venice Film Festival’s Horizons section. Set in Sweden, it sees young sisters Laura, Mira and Steffi trying to get by on their own after their mother leaves. When social services call, Laura comes up with a plan: in order to avoid foster care, she needs to find someone to impersonate their mom.

When Andy Kaufman passed away in May 1984, it was the final full stop in a life that seemed to be endlessly self-regenerating. Or was it? Rumors that this was another of his bizarre stunts were rife at the time, so much so that one of the mourners at the comedian’s funeral poked the body that lay in the casket to see if it would move.

British author Roald Dahl has long been referred to as one of the best storytellers for children of the 20th century, a seemingly flattering but objectively flawed observation. Dahl is, after all, not just one of the best storytellers for children of the 20th century.

A parent’s desire to trap their offspring in perpetual childhood is not a foreign concept to Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos, whose 2009 psychological drama “Dogtooth” chronicled the dysfunctional routine of a wealthy businessman, his meek wife, and their severely infantilized adult children.

There are plenty of intriguing titles vying for the Golden Lion at this year’s Venice Film Festival. But Yorgos Lanthimos‘ “Poor Things,” the director’s first film since 2018’s “The Favorite,” may be the most intriguing of all.

with lace and tulle flourishes from the designer's fall/winter 2000 collection for the occasion, where she was honored with a leadership award for her work on behalf abuse victims. But I have to say, the stunning gown still played second fiddle to her princess-worthy glam.If you can believe it, the person responsible for Amal's hair and makeup that evening was none other than . Giannetos is the same stylist who added those enviable to her signature brunette mane, not to mention the she's been rocking all week.

Ellise Shafer The stars were out in Venice for Variety and the Golden Globe Awards’ party on Thursday night, featuring Chase Stokes, Kelsea Ballerini, Lukas Gage and Pablo Larraín. Presented by Iervolino and Lady Bacardi Entertainment, the event celebrated breakthrough talent and excellence in Italian filmmaking, handing out several awards under the moonlight.

Back in 2009, Yorgos Lanthimos led the so-called Greek Weird Wave with the Oscar-nominated Dogtooth, an unsettling exploration of a family of teenagers kept from the world by their father in a gated estate that they could never leave. The family is rich, so they can have anything they want except the wide world and their freedom; even sex can be bought in. 

Ellise Shafer To Diane von Furstenberg, the city of Venice is a woman. “I’ve never wanted to be any other woman than me, right?” the iconic fashion designer and humanitarian told Variety before the 14th annual DVF Awards. “But I would love to be Venice.” Von Furstenberg estimates that she has been to the group of Italian islands every year for most of her life, a love affair that began when she first started her fashion brand in the ‘70s.

They don’t make them like this any more, except when they do. Bastarden (disappointingly renamed The Promised Land in English) is a historical epic out of Denmark that has all the virtues of a midday movie remembered from childhood, the kind of thing you watched when your mother kept you home with a bad cold: a setting sometime in the olden days, a lawless frontier, sword fights and a gaggle of delectably evil baddies. Those seamy aristocrats and their henchmen, given to torturing, murdering and raping their oppressed tenants, are just lining up to have the tables turned, giving them a rich dose of their own torturing, murdering medicine. Hooray!

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent The Venice Gap-Financing Market is celebrating its 10-year anniversary this year with record-breaking attendance and impressive new figures on the projects that the core component of Venice’s industry side has helped bring to the big screen. All told, over the span of a decade, “We have had 370 films (including immersive) from 70 countries and 80% of them have been completed within six months after the festival,” says Pascal Diot who heads the Venice Production Bridge, as the Lido’s market is known.

It’s been 11 years since Mads Mikkelsen starred in Nikolaj Arcel’s Danish period drama A Royal Affair, one of 2012’s most raved about international films which also went on to an Oscar nomination. 

We’re back, Insiders. Jesse Whittock here. After a week away, we’ve got you covered for all the big news as festival season gears up once again. We’ve been mob-handed in Venice while diligently covering all the major TV and film news around the world. Let’s begin…

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent France’s UFO Distribution has acquired French rights to Venice Horizons entry “An Endless Sunday” by first-time Italian director Alain Parroni from Fandango Sales. The film will segue from Venice to Toronto where it screens in the fest’s Discovery section.

Naman Ramachandran The bipolar nature of Hungary’s politics and the country’s education system are the targets of Gábor Reisz’s “Explanation for Everything,” which world premieres in the Venice Film Festival’s Horizons strand. The film is Reisz’s third feature after the acclaimed “Some Inexplicable Reason” (2014) and “Bad Poems” (2018). Set in summer in Budapest, “Explanation for Everything” follows high school student Abel, who is struggling to focus on his final exams while coming to the realization that he is hopelessly in love with his best friend Janka.

Sydney Sweeney has made a low key arrival in Venice!

The North American box office has been a challenge to track the past couple of years, first with movie theaters shuttering along with almost everything else due to the Covid pandemic, and then in 2023, just when thing were returning to normal, a pair of Hollywood strikes has further complicated studios’ release-date strategies.

Michael Mann’s Ferrari received a 7 1/2-minute standing ovation Thursday night after the lights went up on the film’s world premiere screening at the Venice Film Festival.

Adam Driver spoke at a Venice Film Festival press conference earlier today (Thursday), using his platform to criticize a number of major movie studios over their refusal to play by union rules. Driver is in Venice to promote his appearance in the upcoming Michael Mann movie, Ferrari.

The Venice Film Festival is now underway, albeit without a lot of actors on the Lido thanks to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike. But Variety reports that “Ferrari” star Adam Driver is at the festival to support Michael Mann‘s latest film (as it’s not part of the AMPTP), and he didn’t hold back about certain companies refusing to meet guild demands.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent As Chile prepares to mark 50 years since the Sept. 11, 1973 coup by Augusto Pinochet, Chilean auteur Pablo Larraín is back in Venice – following “Spencer” in 2021 – with scathing satire “El Conde,” in which Pinochet, a symbol of global fascism, resurfaces as a 250-year old vampire living in a rundown rural mansion after faking his death. “Pinochet had never been portrayed in film or TV before,” Larrain said.

Naman Ramachandran A trio of international co-productions from South Asia that are participating at the Venice Production Bridge’s gap-financing market are exploring burning topics from the region. From Nepal, Abinash Bikram Shah, whose short “Lori” (2022) won a special mention at Cannes and who previously co-wrote Venice winner “The Black Hen” (2015), is prepping his feature directorial debut “Elephants in the Fog.” Set in a small Nepalese village nestled in the heart of a forest populated by wild elephants, the film follows Pirati, the matriarch of a community of transgender women. She aspires to a normal life with Master, the man she loves.

Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larraín returns to Venice this evening with his latest pic El Conde, a black-and-white satire of dictator Augusto Pinochet, which he co-wrote and directed for Netflix.

EXCLUSIVE: Caleb Landry Jones has built an eclectic resumé since he first appeared as Boy on Bike in 2007’s No Country for Old Men. His diverse credits include X-Men: First Class, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, Get Out and Nitram, Justin Kurzel’s 2021 mass murder drama which earned Landry Jones a Best Actor prize in Cannes. 

EXCLUSIVE: Roman Polanski’s dark comedy The Palace has sold to a host of key territories ahead of its Venice premiere, with distributors getting behind the film in spite of the controversy surrounding the director. 

Marta Balaga Danish filmmaker Nikolaj Arcel, who was behind “The Dark Tower” with Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey – is bringing back the historical epic with “The Promised Land,” which world premieres in Venice Film Festival competition section. Set in 1755 and based on a true story, it sees captain Ludvig Kahlen (played by Mads Mikkelsen) deciding to finally conquer the Danish heathland and build a colony there. But its ruler, Frederik de Schinkel (Simon Bennebjerg), doesn’t want to share the inhospitable land.

Bound 2” concerning herself with Kanye West’s shenanigans — including his recent Italian wardrobe malfunction.The Skims founder does not keep up with her ex-husband’s personal life and isn’t “concerned” unless it affects him co-parenting their four kids, a source told TMZ on Wednesday. After West exposed his bare butt to tourists during a boat ride in Italy on Sunday, a source close to the situation told Page Six that previous reports about Kardashian, 42, being “desperately embarrassed and worried” for West, 46, are not true.Kardashian’s camp declined to comment when contacted by The Post.

It’s not Kim Kardashian‘s problem!

EXCLUSIVE: With the Venice Film Festival opening tonight, all eyes are on Italy to give us some early clues as to what some of the most anticipated movies of the season will be delivering in terms of their awards potential. Certainly one of the more eagerly awaited expected contenders is Bradley Cooper’s Leonard Bernstein movie, Maestro.

– and, naturally, just turned up looking sensational. Amal touched down in the Italian city on Tuesday, the eve of the annual festival.Aside from her slinky emerald dress, it was Clooney’s beauty look that really turned heads.

Amal and George Clooney looked great upon their arrival to Venice. The couple, who’s visiting Venice for the Venice Film Festival that’s ongoing amidst SAG-AFTRA strikes, was photographed enjoying the city before the start of the event. The two were walking hand in hand as their outfit matched colors.Amal and George Clooney’s romantic outing in the place they first met 10 years agoAmal Clooney mastered the disco look in dazzling mini dress during recent outing in ItalyGeorge wore a navy polo shirt over some pants with navy stipes.