Actors, Directors, Producers, Writers, and Journalists have flocked to Venice in the past two weeks to watch the films/tv series shown at the prestigious Italian film festival. The festival serves as a prominent member of the festival circuit before the films enter the awards season. 21 of the 92 films shown were competing for the prestigious Golden Lion award. Director Bong Joon-Ho served as the President of the Jury marking the first time a South-Korean director served as the Jury’s top member. 

     The festival opened with the film “Parallel Mothers”, a Spanish language film directed by Pedro Almodóvar. The film currently holds a 100% on rotten tomatoes signaling the film has massive potential in the eyes of early critics. Other films to watch from the festival’s early days include: “The Hand of God”, “The Card Counter”, and “The Power of the Dog”. The latter, being one of the most anticipated films of the festival, was applauded among critics as a strong return by director Jane Campion. The western-style film is being seen as a perfect opportunity for Kirsten Dunst to finally get an Oscar nomination. With the correct campaign, she could be a major power player in the supporting actress category this award season. 

     The highly anticipated science fiction film “Dune” also premiered at the festival. The star-studded cast includes Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Jason Momoa, Oscar Isaac,  Dave Bautista, and Stellan Skarsgard. The film was viewed generally favorably among the critics who viewed it, with most agreeing that this was a film you should take the time to see. Director Dennis Villeneuve and the film itself received an eight-minute standing ovation after the film premiered, but when critics sat down to write their reviews that level of love did translate to their articles.

     A breakout star of the Venice festival has been “Twilight” actress Kristen Stewart whose role as Princess Diana in the new film “Spencer” has earned her universal praise among critics. The new film directed by Pablo Larrain (director of Jackie) has on its own received generally favorable reviews for its direction and story. The film follows Princess Diana through a single fictional Christmas weekend, where Diana decides her marriage with Prince Charles is no longer working. Though still early in the race for the Academy Awards, Stewart has already been chosen as an early front runner for the Best Actress award. After the film concluded, Stewart was given a three-minute standing ovation by the audience which left her visibly emotional. 

     Making his film comeback at the Venice Film Festival was fictional character Michael Myers whose latest appearance in “Halloween Kills” was shown on the big screen. The film generated mixed reviews from critics who said it was a fine slasher movie, but there was nothing special about it. Jamie Lee Curtis was applauded for her acting in her return to the series, but the movie was deemed NOT a must-see by the critics. Curtis is also being awarded a lifetime achievement award at the festival. 

     Switching to television the new HBO series “Scenes From a Marriage” starring Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain premiered a single episode at the festival. The series is based on the 1973 Swedish miniseries of the same name directed by Ingar Bergmann. The performances of both lead actors were praised as raw and powerful, but the direction and writing of the show have not received the same appreciation from the critics attending the festival. 

     Fresh off her success as Beth Harmon in “The Queen’s Gambit” actress Anya Taylor-Joy also visited Venice for the premiere of “Last Night in Soho”. The psycho thriller-horror combo was deemed a strong film and Taylor-Joy and her co-star Thomasin McKenzie received praise for their performances in the ’60s themed film. Director Edgar Wright was also applauded for his directorial style and his ode to late movie star Diana Rigg whose final film before passing away was “Last Night in Soho”. 

     Noticeably absent from the film festival circuit this year has been the highly anticipated “House of Gucci ” directed by Ridley Scott. The film stars Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Jared Leto, Salma Hayek, and Al Pacino. Also missing was Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” another highly anticipated film. Will these movies be able to catch up in the races of the big awards? Only time will tell, but we do expect those films to premiere at a later date. 

     On the final night of the festival, the Golden Lion award was awarded to Audrey Diwan’s French film “Happening.” The film follows a young French woman as she learns she is pregnant and proceeds to try to get an abortion. The film takes place in 1963 and was applauded by critics as a gripping film that deserves the top award from this festival. Jury leader Bong Joon-Ho told the festival crowd that the decision was unanimous among the judges. The Best Director award was given to Jane Campion for “The Power of the Dog” the aforementioned Netflix western film starring Benedict Cumberbatch.  

     The 2021 Venice Film Festival was considered to be a wide-open race for the final awards. The strong array of films up for award consideration was one of the strongest classes in recent years according to jury members. Some of the most anticipated films of the past 2 years were delayed due to the pandemic to make sure they got a release in theatres. Now all of those films are ready to be put into the world and the Venice Festival is a prime example of just how strong these new films are going to be.