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Venice Film Festival: Coen Brothers Surprise, Netflix Prominent In Rich Lineup – Full List

UPDATE: The Venice Film Festival has come up with another intriguing lineup which — despite mostly on-the-nose pre-reveal speculation — also offers some surprises, notably the Coen Brothers’ The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs landing in competition. Artistic Director Alberto Barbera unveiled the full roster this morning in Rome, setting the stage for the awards season kick-off and providing a window onto some of the major titles we expect to be talking about throughout the next six months. (What’s more, the Hotel des Bains is back — sort of.)

Under Barbera’s curation, such films as Gravity, Birdman, La La Land, Hacksaw Ridge, Spotlight, Arrival and last year’s Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and The Shape Of Water have been key fixtures on the trail and account for three Best Picture Oscar winners. But Venice hasn’t gone entirely Hollywood and today’s roster reveal is a mix of established and newer filmmakers from various backgrounds that speak to a world audience — although there’s only one female director in competition.

Two of the splashiest titles were previously announced: Damien Chazelle’s First Man is opening in competition with an American tale whose basis — the path to Neil Armstrong’s 1969 moon landing — had global and historic repercussions. Universal releases in October. And, Bradley Cooper’s buzzy A Star Is Born from Warner Bros is set as a Special Event.

In the stuff we didn’t expect column, the biggest a-ha today was the Coen Brothers’ Netflix/Annapurna anthology The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs turning up in competition. The project was originally announced as a TV series, but its inclusion in the main section sets it on a potential awards run as it’s understood to be getting a theatrical domestic release. Tim Blake Nelson, James Franco (often to Venice what Nicole Kidman is to Cannes) and Liam Neeson star. About the American frontier, it is neither the only Western (Jacques Audiard’s The Sisters Brothers is in), nor the only Netflix project that’s Lido-bound.

Barbera was the first major fest director to embrace the streaming service, putting Beasts Of No Nation in competition in 2015. After a now notorious squabble with Cannes earlier this year, Netflix is again strongly repped on the Lido. Orson Welles’ previously unfinished film, The Other Side Of The Wind will run as a Special Event. Similarly, Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma, which had been invited to Cannes, is in competition on the Lido. Paul Greengrass’ 22 July about the 2011 terrorist attack in Norway also has a slot in competition.

Amazon for its part has Suspiria in competition. That’s the remake of Dario Argento’s classic from Call Me By Your Name helmer Luca Guadagnino. He was last in Venice with A Bigger Splash and here reunites with that film’s stars Tilda Swinton and Dakota Johnson. Amazon is also in competition with Mike Leigh’s Peterloo.

Other big names unveiled today include Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Favourite, as expected, from Fox Searchlight and starring Olivia Colman, Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz. Julien Schabel’s Vincent Van Gogh portrait At Eternity’s Gate with Willem Dafoe, Oscar Isaac, Rupert Friend and Mads Mikkelsen will world premiere in competition. Schanbel bowed Before Night Falls and Miral in Venice back in 2000 and 2010, respectively. CBS Films releases At Eternity’s Gate in November.

Also as expected, Childhood Of A Leader director Brady Corbet returns to Venice, and moves into competition with Vox Lux. The Natalie Portman/Jude Law-starrer centers on a woman who becomes one of the world’s pop superstars after surviving a life-changing event. Sia composed a complete soundtrack with original music for the film. Portman’s become a Venice regular through such acclaimed roles in Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan and more recently, Pablo Larrain’s Jackie.

The sole female director in competition is Jennifer Kent with her Babadook follow-up, The Nightingale. The period drama is set in Tasmania and stars Sam Claflin and Aisling Franciosi.

Foreign Language Oscar winners Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (The Lives Of Others) and Laszlo Nemes (Son Of Saul) take Lido competition berths with Werk Ohne Autor and Sunset, respectively. The former is about an artist tormented by his childhood under the Nazis and the GDR-regime while the latter is about a young girl who grows up to become a strong and fearless woman in Budapest before World War I. Also repping Europe in competition is Olivier Assayas with Doubles Vies, a comedy set in the Parisian publishing world and starring Guillaume Canet and Juliette Binoche.

A particularly intriguing offering is The Mountain from Rick Alverson whose Entertainment bowed in Sundance in 2015. This one’s been somewhat under the radar and Barbera was a bit elusive, yet praising, about it during this morning’s press conference. Tye Sheridan (who was a Venice prizewinner for Joe a few years back), Danielle Smith and Jeff Goldblum star.

Out of competition, Terrence Malick’s 180-minute The Tree Of Life (Extended Cut) is set to screen in the Sconfini section (formerly Cinema nel Giardino). Further, Pablo Trapero is presenting La Quietud; Chinese master Zhang Yimou has Shadow; and S Craig Zahler returns with Dragged Across Concrete. As we’ve previously written, this is a reteam for the director with Vince Vaughn and also stars Mel Gibson. That portends a red carpet reunion for the Hacksaw Ridge director and Vaughn on the Lido where Hacksaw first wowed audiences.

Also out of competition, and after bowing Paolo Sorrentino’s small screen debut The Young Pope two years ago, this year the festival will screen 120 minutes of HBO’s Italian-language series My Brilliant Friend (L’Amica Geniale). Saverio Costanzo (Hungry Hearts) directs the 8-part adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s best-selling book.

Venice is typically strong on documentaries and this year has 13 out of competition, and more in the Classics section. Among the notable offerings are Errol Morris’ American Dharma which is billed as a dialogue with Steve Bannon. There’s also a Peter Bogdonavich-directed doc about legendary silent film star Buster Keaton entitled The Great Buster. Mark Cousins is also in the non-fiction strand with Women Making Films: A New Road Movie Through Cinema and Venice favorite William Friedkin gets a doc in Francesco Zippel’s Friedkin Uncut.

And in news to put a smile on the faces of Venice veterans, the historic Hotel des Bains will be re-opened this year. The setting for Luchino Visconti’s film adaptation of Thomas Mann’s classic Death In Venice will host a photographic exhibition in honor of the 75th anniversary of the festival. Death In Venice is also screening in Classics.

See below for the full list of titles, which could be padded out in the coming weeks. Venice runs August 29-September 8.

Andreas Wiseman contributed to this report

PREVIOUS: Venice Film Festival chief Alberto Barbera is unveiling the lineup for the 75th edition of the event this morning in Rome. As previously announced, Damien Chazelle will return to opening night duties with Universal’s First Man, two years after his La La Land danced its way onto the awards season trail. Also world premiering is Bradley Cooper’s directorial debut, A Star Is Born, from Warner Bros. Other films expected to turn up in the main section include Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Favourite with Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz, and Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma, five years after the director blew the doors off the Sala Grande with Gravity and three years since he was jury president on the Lido. That honor this year goes to his pal Guillermo del Toro who scooped the Golden Lion last year with The Shape Of Water before going on to win the Best Picture Oscar.

Here’s the lit of titles announced today:

VENEZIA 75 (COMPETITION)
First Man, dir: Damien Chazelle
The Mountain, dir: Rick Alverson
Doubles Vies, dir: Olivier Assayas
The Sisters Brothers, dir: Jacques Audiard
The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs, dirs: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Vox Lux, dir: Brady Corbet
22 July, dir: Paul Greengrass
Roma, dir: Alfonso Cuaron
Suspiria, dir: Luca Guadagnino
Werk Ohne Autor, dir: Florian Henckel Von Donnersmarck
The Nightingale, dir: Jennifer Kent
The Favourite, Yorgos Lanthiomos
Peterloo, dir: Mike Leigh
Capri-Revolution, dir: Mario Martone
What You Gonna Do When The World’s On Fire?, dir: Roberto Minervini
Sunset, dir: Laszlo Nemes
Frères Ennemis, dir: David Oelhoffen
Nuestro Tiempo, dir: Carlos Reygadas
At Eternity’s Gate, dir: Julian Schnabel
Acusada, dir: Gonzalo Tobal
Killing, dir: Shinya Tsukamoto

OUT OF COMPETITION
A Star Is Born, dir: Bradley Cooper
Mi Obra Maestra, dir: Gaston Duprat
Un Peuple Et Son Roi, dir: Pierre Schoeller
A Tramway In Jerusalem, dir: Amos Gitai
La Quietud, dir: Pablo Trapero
Shadow, dir: Zhang Yimou
Dragged Across Concrete, dir: S Craig Zahler

OUT OF COMPETITION – SPECIAL EVENT
The Other Side Of The Wind, dir: Orson Welles
They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead, dir: Morgan Neville

OUT OF COMPETITION – SPECIAL SCREENINGS
L’Amica Geniale, dir: Saverio Costanza
Il Diario Di Angela – Noi Due Cineasti, dir: Yervant Gianikian

OUT OF COMPETITION – NON-FICTION
A Letter To A Friend In Gaza, dir: Amos Gitai
Aquarela, dir: Victor Kossakovsky
El Pepe, Una Vida Suprema, dir: Emir Kusturica
Process, dir: Sergei Loznitsa
Carmine Street Guitars, dir: Ron Mann
Isis, Tomorrow. The Lost Souls Of Mosul., dirs: Francesca Mannocchi, Alessio Romenzi
American Dharma, dir: Errol Morris
Introduzione All’Oscuro, dir: Gaston Solnicki
Your Face, dir: Tsai Ming-Liang
1938 Diversi, dir: Giorgi Treves
Monrovia, Indiana, dir: Frederick Wiseman
Una Storia Senza Nome, dir: Roberto Ando
Les Estivants, dir: Valeria Bruni Tedeschi

HORIZONS
Sulla Mia Pelle, dir: Alessio Cremonini (opening film)
Manta Ray, dir: Phuttiphong Aroonpheng
Soni, dir: Ivan Ayr
The River, dir: Emir Baigazin
La Noche De 12 Anos, dir: Alvaro Brechner
Deslembro, dir: Flavia Castro
The Announcement, dir: Mahmut Fazil Coskun
Un Giorno All’Improvviso, dir: Ciro D’Emilio
Charlie Says, dir: Mary Harron
Amanda, dir: Mikhael Hers
The Day I Lost My Shadow, dir: Soudade Kaadan
L’Enkas, dir: Sarah Marx
The Man Who Surprised Everyone, dirs: Natasha Merkulova, Aleksy Chupov
Memories Of My Body, dir: Garin Nugroho
As I Lay Dying, dir: Mostafa Sayyari
La Profezia Dell’Armadillo, dir: Emanuele Scaringi
Tel Aviv On Fire, dir: Sameh Zoabi
Jinpa, dir: Pema Tseden
Stripped, dir: Yaron Shani

SCONFINI (formerly Cinema in the Garden)
The Tree Of Life (Extended Cut), dir: Terrence Malick
Arrivederci Saigon, dir: Wilma Labate
Il Ragazzo Piu Felice Del Mondon, dir: Gipi
Il Banchiere Anarchio, dir: Giulio Base
Blood Kin, dir: Ramin Bahrani
Magic Lantern, dir: Amir Naderi
L’Heure De La Sortie, dir: Sebastien Marnier
Camorra, dir: Francesco Patierno

VENICE CLASSICS
They Live, dir: John Carpenter
The Night Porter, dir: Liliana Cavani
The Naked City, dir: Jules Dassin
Brick And Mirror, dir: Ebrahim Golestan
Street Of Shame, dir: Kenji Mizoguchi
Il Posto, dir: Ermanno Olmi
Last Year At Marienbad, dir: Alain Resnais
The Place Without Limits, dir: Arturo Ripstein
Adieu Philippine, dir: Jacques Rozier
The Ascent, dir: Larisa Shepitko
The Killers, dir: Don Siegel
The Killers, dir: Robert Siodmark
The Night Of The Shooting Stars, dirs: Paolo and Vittorio Taviani
Love, Thy Name Be Sorrow AKA The Mad Fox, dir: Toma Uchida
Death In Venice, dir: Luchino Visconti
The Golem – How He Came Into The World, dir: Paul Wegener
Nothing Sacred, dir: William A Wellman
Some Like It Hot, dir: Billy Wilder

VENICE CLASSICS – DOCUMENTARIES
The Great Buster, dir: Peter Bogdanovich
Women Making Films: A New Road Movie Through Cinema, dir: Mark Cousins
Humberto Mauro, dir: André Di Mauro
Living The Light – Robby Muller, dir: Claire Pijman
24/25 Il Fotogramma In Piu, dirs: Giancarlo Rolandi, Federico Pontiggia
Nice Girls Don’t Stay For Breakfast, dir: Bruce Weber
Friedkin Uncut, dir: Francesco Zippel

VENICE VIRTUAL REALITY (In Competition – Interactive)
Make Noise, dir: May Abdalla
The Unknown Patient, dir: Michael Beets
Buddy VR, dir: Chuck Chae
Umami, dir: Landia Egal
Eclipse, dir: Astruc Jonathan, Favre Aymeric
The Horrifically Virtual Reality, dir: Marie Jourdren
Spheres, dir: Eliza McNitt
A Discovery of Witches – Hiding in Plain Sight, dir: Kim-Leigh Pontin
The Roaming – Wetlands, dir: Mathieu Pradat
Kobold, dirs: Max Sacker, Ioulia Isserlis
Awavena, dir: Lynette Wallworth

VENICE VIRTUAL REALITY (In Competition – Linear)
Even In The Rain, dir: Lindsay Branham
Trail Of Angels, dir: Kristina Buozyte
X-Ray Fashion, dir: Francesco Carrozzini
Half Life VR – Short Version, dir: Robert Connor
Crow: The Legend, dir: Eric Darnell
Age Of Sail, dir: John Kahrs
Mindpalace, dirs: Carl Krause, Dominik Stockhausen
Ballavita, dir: Gerda Leopold
Borderline, dir: Assaf Machnes
Shennong: Taste Of Illusion, dirs: Mi Li, Wang Zheng
The Great C, dir: Steve Miller
L’Ile Des Morts, dir: Benjamin Nuel
Home After War, dirs: Gayatri Parameswaran, Felix Gaedtke
Made This Way: Redefining Masculinity, dirs: Elli Raynai, Irem Harnak
Lucid, dir: Pete Short
The Last One Standing VR, dirs: Wang Jiwen, Liu Yang
Fresh Out, dirs: Wey Sam, Tao Fangchao
1943: Berlin Blitz, dir: David Whelan
Rooms, dir: Christian Zipfel

OUT OF COMPETITION – BEST OF VR (Interactive)
VR_I, dirs: Gilles Jobin, Caecilia Charbonnier, Sylvain Chagué

OUT OF COMPETITION – BEST OF VR (Linear)
Battlescar, dirs: Nico Casavecchia, Martin Allias
Arden’s Wake: Tide’s Fall, dir: Eugene YK Chung
Ghost In The Shell: Virtual Reality Diver, dir: Higashi Hiroaki
Isle Of Dogs: Behind The Scenes (In Virtual Reality), dirs: Paul Raphael, Felix Lajeunesse
Tales Of Wedding Rings VR, dir: Sou Kaei

OUT OF COMPETITION – BIENNALE COLLEGE CINEMA – VR (Linear)
In The Cave, dir: Ivan Gergolet
Elegy, dir: Marc Guidoni
Metro Veinte: Cita Ciega, dir: Maria Belen Poncio
Floodplain, dir: Deniz Tortum

BIENNALE COLLEGE
Zen Sul Ghiaccio Sottile, dir: Margherita Ferri
Deva, dir: Petra Szöcs
Yuva, dir: Emre Yeksan

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