So what film will win the coveted Golden Lion at the 80th edition of the Venice Film Festival this year? Well, there’s no front-runner right now because festival director Albert Barbera hasn’t even anvnounced the in-competition line-up yet. But now we know who will choose the winners alongside jury head Damien Chazelle. And that list boasts filmmakers who’ve done very well for themselves on the Lido the past couple of years.
Deadline reports that Jane Campion and Laura Poitras are just two of the eight names that will join Chazelle as part of his jury when Venice begins on August 30. Poitra’s doc “All The Beauty And The Bloodshed,” about artist Nan Goldin and the downfall of the Sackler family, won the Golden Lion at the fest last year. It’s just the second doc ever to win Venice’s top prize. And Campion won the Silver Lion for Best Director two year’s ago for her film “The Power Of The Dog.” With Poitras and Campion helping Chazell pick prize winners this year, don’t be surprised if another female director wins the Golden Lion for the fourth year in a row.
Six others join Campion, Poitras, and Chazelel on the Venice jury: Mia Hansen-Løve, Martin McDonagh, Saleh Bakri, Gabriele Mainetti, Santiago Mitre, and Shu Qi. French director Hansen-Løve has never had a film of hers premiere at Venice, but Martin McDonagh has. The Irish playwright-director’s “The Banshees Of Inisherin” premiered on the Lido last year, and so did “Three Billboards Outside Of Ebbings, Missouri” in 2017.
And the rest of the jury mostly comprises directors with recent premieres at Venice. Palestinian filmmaker Bakri premiered “Costa Brava, Lebanon” at Venice in 2021. Italian director Mainetti was also at the festival in 2021 to premiere his film “Freaks Out,” which won the Leoncino d’Oro Award. And Mitre premiered his latest film “Argentina 1985” on the Lido last year, too. Taiwanese actress Shu Qi is the odd one out on the jury, then, as she’s not a director. One of the most popular actresses in Taiwan, Qi’s recent roles include “Flayer,” “Shanghai Fortress,” “The Island,” and “Journey To The West: The Demons Strike Back.”
Note that Mr. Chazelle has a history at the Venice Film Festival two. He’s premiered two films on the Lido, 2016’s “La La Land,” and 2018’s “First Man.” But as to what film he and his jury may award the Golden Lion this year is anyone’s guess. The festival will announce its official selections on July 25, and many speculate Yorgos Lanthimos‘ “Poort Things” and Michael Mann‘s “Ferrari” may be part of the line-up, among others. Venice favorite Luca Guadagnino‘s latest film, “Challengers” will open the festival this year out of competition. That film, about a love triangle in the tennis world between Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O’Connor, hits US theaters on September 15 after its Venice premiere.
With a jury loaded with directors, expect the Golden and Silver Lions competition this year to be especially bracing at Venice. The festival runs from August 30 to September 9, with awards announced the final weekend.
