81st Venice Film Festival kicks off

Source: Xinhua| 2024-08-29 02:54:45|Editor: huaxia

Members of the 81st Venice Film Festival Jury for "Luigi de Laurentis" Award pose at the photocall in Venice, Italy, Aug. 28, 2024. The 81st Venice Film Festival will run from Aug. 28 until Sept. 7 at the Venice Lido island in Italy. (Xinhua/Li Jing)

VENICE, Italy, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- The 81st Venice Film Festival kicked off on Wednesday on Lido Island in Venice, Italy, showcasing 21 films competing for the prestigious Golden Lion award.

The festival opened with the premiere of "Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice," the latest film by Tim Burton, with the opening ceremony hosted by Italian actress Sveva Alviti.

The international jury is led by French actress Isabelle Huppert, who is known for winning multiple Best Actress awards at Cannes and other prestigious film awards. Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi is also one of the jury members this year.

The film lineup this year includes the crime drama "Joker: Folie à Deux," with Joaquin Phoenix as The Joker and Lady Gaga as his romantic partner; "The Room Next Door," the first English-language film from Oscar-winning Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar; "Maria," starring Angelina Jolie as opera legend Maria Callas, and the thriller "Baby Girl," featuring Nicole Kidman.

In addition to the main competition, the festival includes other sections which highlight films representing the latest aesthetic and expressive trends, debut films and virtual reality works.

First held in 1932, the Venice Film Festival is the oldest of its kind and. Together with the Cannes Film Festival in France and the Berlin International Film Festival in Germany, It is one of the three major film festivals in Europe. ■

Members of the 81st Venice Film Festival Jury pose at the photocall in Venice, Italy, Aug. 28, 2024. The 81st Venice Film Festival will run from Aug. 28 until Sept. 7 at the Venice Lido island in Italy. (Xinhua/Li Jing)

Giuseppe Tornatore, member of the 81st Venice Film Festival Jury, poses at the photocall in Venice, Italy, Aug. 28, 2024. The 81st Venice Film Festival will run from Aug. 28 until Sept. 7 at the Venice Lido island in Italy. (Xinhua/Li Jing)

Zhang Ziyi, member of the 81st Venice Film Festival Jury, poses at the photocall in Venice, Italy, Aug. 28, 2024. The 81st Venice Film Festival will run from Aug. 28 until Sept. 7 at the Venice Lido island in Italy. (Xinhua/Li Jing)

Isabelle Huppert, member of the 81st Venice Film Festival Jury, poses at the photocall in Venice, Italy, Aug. 28, 2024. The 81st Venice Film Festival will run from Aug. 28 until Sept. 7 at the Venice Lido island in Italy. (Xinhua/Li Jing)

Members of the 81st Venice Film Festival Jury of Orizzonti section pose at the photocall in Venice, Italy, Aug. 28, 2024. The 81st Venice Film Festival will run from Aug. 28 until Sept. 7 at the Venice Lido island in Italy. (Xinhua/Li Jing)

French actress Isabelle Huppert, a jury member of the 81st Venice Film Festival, poses for photos on the red carpet before the film festival's opening ceremony in Venice, Italy, Aug. 28, 2024.