After weeks of speculations, the Venice Film Festival has announced the lineup for its 76th edition in Rome today.
Saudi Arabian director Haifaa Al Mansour's The Perfect Candidate is the only film from the region to be running in-competition with 20 other international films. The film, which stars Mila Alzahrani, Nourah Al Awad, Dhae Al Hilali, is about a young Saudi female doctor who decides to run for an office in a municipal election.
Mansour, who lives in Los Angeles with her American husband and children, went back to Saudi Arabia to shoot the film.
Mansour was the first woman to shoot a film in Saudi Arabia, her critically acclaimed Wadjda from 2012 about a girl who dreams of riding her own bike. Wadjda became Saudi Arabia's first entry for the Oscars.
The big titles at Venice Film Festival
Some of the big titles that have been announced include Joker starring Joaquin Phoenix and Robert De Niro, space drama Ad Astra starring Brad Pitt and Tommy Lee Jones, dark comedy The Laundromat starring Meryl Streep and Gary Oldman, and Marriage Story starring Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver. Roman Polanski's J'accuse will also run in competition at the festival. Polanski has been in self-imposed exile from the US since he fled in 1977 while awaiting sentencing for statutory rape.
The festival, which runs from August 28 to August 7, will open with The Truth by Hirokazu Kore-eda and will close with The Burnt Orange Heresy by Giuseppe Capotondi.
Full In Competition Lineup
The Perfect Candidate (SAU/GER) by Haifaa Al-Mansour
About Endlessness (SWE/GER/NOR) by Roy Andersson
Wasp Network (FRA/BEL) by Olivier Assayas
Marriage Story (USA) by Noah Baumbach
Guest Of Honour (CAN) by Atom Egoyan
Ad Astra (USA) by James Gray
A Herdade (POR/FRA) by Tiago Guedes
Gloria Mundi (FRA/ITA) by Robert Guéndiguian
Waiting For The Barbarians (ITA) by Ciro Guerra
The Truth (JAP/FRA) by Hirokazu Kore-eda
Ema (CHILE) by Pablo Larrain
Saturday Fiction (CHI) by Lou Ye
Martin Eden (ITA/FRA) by Pietro Marcello
La Mafia Non E Piu Quella Di Una Volta (ITA) by Franco Maresco
The Painted Bird (CZE/UKR/SLO) by Vaclav Marhoul
Il Sindaco Del Rione Sanita (ITA) by Mario Martone
Babyteeth (AUS) by Shannon Murphy
Joker (USA) by Todd Phillips
J'Accuse (FRA/ITA) by Roman Polanski
The Laundromat (USA) by Steven Soderbergh
No. 7 Cherry Lane (HONG KONG) by Yonfan
To see the full selection, visit www.labiennale.org
