Image: (New Visions Film Distribution)
Before the start on August 30, it is still unclear which film greats will travel to Italy. Stars planning to come include Sofia Coppola, Adam Driver, Jessica Chastain and Penelope Cruz. Bradley Cooper, who plays the leading role in the competition film “Maestro” about the composer Leonard Bernstein and also directed it, has already canceled.
The German director Timm Kröger (37), who is represented in the competition with his Austrian co-production “The Theory of Everything”, is looking forward to his trip to Venice. His thriller, with Burgtheater ensemble member Jan Bülow in a leading role and Gottfried Breitfuss from Salzburg in a supporting role, is written in black and white. Set in the 1960s, it tells of a physics congress in the Swiss Alps where mysterious things happen.
Works of two controversialists
In addition to “The Theory of Everything”, there are 22 entries in the race for the Golden Lion this year. These include works by well-known US filmmakers, including films by Sofia Coppola, David Fincher and Michael Mann. Numerous stars are involved in the competition entries, including Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, Michael Fassbender and Tilda Swinton.
This year, works by two filmmakers who are controversial because of allegations of abuse are not being shown in competition: the relationship drama “Coup de chance” by Woody Allen and the comedy “The Palace” by Roman Polanski.
The more than 11,000 unionized screenwriters in the US have been on strike since early May. Since mid-July, tens of thousands of members have also joined the actors’ union SAG-AFTRA.
Source: Nachrichten
