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VENICE 2021 Orizzonti

Venice’s Orizzonti section confirms its role as an incubator for new film talent

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- Alberto Barbera presents the 19 films selected, reminding us that “many authors passed through the Orizzonti section before arriving in the festival’s Competition”

Venice’s Orizzonti section confirms its role as an incubator for new film talent
Vera Dreams of the Sea by Kaltrina Krasniqi

“Many authors passed through the Orizzonti section before arriving in the Main Competition”, explained the director of the Venice International Film Festival Alberto Barbera during the presentation of the festival’s 78th edition (read the news on the films selected for the Competition), stressing the section’s role as an incubator for young talent.

19 films have been selected for the line-up, starting with Promises [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Thomas Kruithof
film profile
]
, which is the second feature film by Thomas Kruithof and which stars Isabelle Huppert, Reda Kateb and Naidra Ayadi. Shot in Venice, Atlantide [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Yuri Ancarani
interview: Yuri Ancarani and Marco Ale…
film profile
]
is the first of the two Italian titles in the showcase, whose director Yuri Ancarani was revealed in Locarno by way of the documentary The Challenge [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
. Miracle [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Bogdan George Apetri
film profile
]
confirms the talent of Romanian—born director Bogdan George Apetri, while Laurynas Bareisa’s Pilgrims [+see also:
film review
interview: Laurynas Bareisa
film profile
]
proves to be a convincing debut, according to Barbera. The other Italian film in competition is Il paradiso del pavone [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Laura Bispuri
film profile
]
 by Laura Bispuri, which stars Dominique Sanda and Alba Rohrwacher in its cast; from Taiwan, we find The Falls by Chung Mong-Hong, and from Mexico El hoyo en la cerca [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Joaquin del Paso, which is “packed with Buñuel moods”. Egyptian filmmaker Mohamed Diab (who was selected for Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section in 2016 via Clash [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
) examines an unusual aspect of the Question of Palestine in Amira, while the female condition is the central theme of À plein temps [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Eric Gravel
film profile
]
by Eric Gravel, as is also the case for 107 Mothers [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Peter Kerekes
film profile
]
by Slovak documentary-maker Peter Kerekes, revolving around a women’s prison in Ukraine. Kosovo makes its first appearance in the festival line-up by way of Kaltrina Krasniqi’s Vera Dreams of the Sea [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Kaltrina Krasniqi
film profile
]
, while White Building [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
is the first work to be offered up by the young Cambodian director Kavich Neang. From Thailand, we find Anatomy of Time [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, which is Jakrawal Nilthamrong’s hotly anticipated second film, following on the heels of his first, which reigned supreme at the Rotterdam Festival in 2015. Rodrigo Plá and Laura Santullo are also making a return with El otro Tom, having previously opened the Orizzonti line-up with Un monstruo de mil cabezas, while Bolivia is offering up Kiro Russo’s “experimental semi-documentary” El gran movimiento [+see also:
film review
film profile
]
. India will present the third feature film by Aditya Vikram Sengupta Once Upon a Time in Calcutta [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, which paints a portrait of a woman in modern-day Calcutta, while Ukrainian filmmaker Oleh Sentsov delivers a crime drama entitled Rhino [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
. A woman on the margins of society is at the heart of Harry Wootliff’s True Things [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Harry Wootliff
film profile
]
, while Japan provides the section with its sole animated film Inu-Oh, which comes courtesy of a cult director in the animé world Yuasa Masaaki.

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

Orizzonti Extra, a section showcasing new trends and boasting an audience award for the very first time, will open with Land of Dreams [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, directed by Iran’s Silver Lion winner Shirin Neshat and Shoja Azari. Costa Brava [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
is the first film by the young Lebanese helmer Mounia Akl, while Russia’s Vladimir Bitokov is set to present Mama, I’m Home [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
. The famous French casting director Antoinette Boulat is also making his debut behind the camera with Ma Nuit [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Antoinette Boulat
film profile
]
, which is co-produced by the Dardenne brothers, while Brazil is offering up 7 Prisoners by Alexandre Moratto. Italy’s Wilma Labate signs her name to La ragazza ha volato [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
, based on a screenplay by the D’Innocenzo brothers, while Roland Sejko will present La macchina delle immagini di Alfredo C. [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
However, with its constantly out-of-focus images Teemu Nikki’s The Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Teemu Nikki and Jani Pösö
interview: Teemu Nikki, Jani Pösö an…
film profile
]
is, undoubtedly, the most singular film in the section.

The films:

Orizzonti

Feature films

Les Promesses [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Thomas Kruithof
film profile
]
- Thomas Kruithof (France) (opening film)
Atlantide [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Yuri Ancarani
interview: Yuri Ancarani and Marco Ale…
film profile
]
- Yuri Ancarani (Italy/France/USA/Qatar)
Miracle [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Bogdan George Apetri
film profile
]
 - Bogdan George Apetri (Romania/Czech Republic/Latvia)
Pilgrims [+see also:
film review
interview: Laurynas Bareisa
film profile
]
- Laurynas Bareisa (Lithuania)
Il paradiso del pavone [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Laura Bispuri
film profile
]
- Laura Bispuri (Italy/Germany)
The Falls - Chung Mong-Hong (Taiwan)
El hoyo en la cerca [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
- Joaquín del Paso (Mexico/Poland)
Amira - Mohamed Diab (Egypt/Jordan/United Arab Emirates/Saudi Arabia)
À plein temps [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Eric Gravel
film profile
]
- Eric Gravel (France)
107 Mothers [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Peter Kerekes
film profile
]
- Peter Kerekes (Slovakia/Czech Republic/Ukraine)
Vera Dreams of the Sea [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Kaltrina Krasniqi
film profile
]
- Kaltrina Krasniqi (Kosovo/Albania/North Macedonia)
White Building [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
- Kavich Neang (Cambodia/France/China/Qatar)
Anatomy of Time [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
- Jakrawal Nilthamrong (Thailand/France/Netherlands/Singapore)
El otro Tom - Rodrigo Plá, Laura Santullo (Mexico/USA)
El gran movimiento [+see also:
film review
film profile
]
- Kiro Russo (Bolivia/France/Qatar/Switzerland)
Once Upon a Time in Calcutta [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
- Aditya Vikram Sengupta (India/France/Norway)
Rhino [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
- Oleh Sentsov (Ukraine/Poland/Germany)
True Things [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Harry Wootliff
film profile
]
- Harry Wootliff (UK)
Inu-Oh - Yuasa Masaaki (Japan/China)

Short films - Competition

Don't Get Too Comfortable - Shaima Al-Tamimi (Yemen/Qatar/United Arab Emirates/USA/Netherlands)
Techno, Mama - Saulius Baradinskas (Lithuania)
Descente (4 AM) - Mehdi Fikri (France)
Sandstorm - Seemab Gul (Pakistan)
Heltzear - Mikel Gurrea (Spain)
Los Huesos - Cristóbal León, Joaquín Cociña (Chile)
Hair Tie, Egg, Homework Books - Luo Runxiao (China)
Il turno - Chiara Marotta, Loris Giuseppe Nese (Italy)
Fall of the Ibis King - Josh O’Caoimh, Mikai Geronimo (Ireland)
New Abnormal - Sorayos Prapapan (Thailand/South Korea/Singapore)
La Fée des Roberts - Léahn Vivier-Chapas (France)
The Last Day - Momi Yamashita (Japan)

Short films - Out of Competition

Ato - Bárbara Paz (Brazil)
Preghiera della sera (Diario di una passeggiata) - Giuseppe Piccioni (Italy)

Orizzonti Extra

Land of Dreams [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
- Shirin Neshat, Shoja Azari (USA/Germany/Qatar) (opening film)
Costa Brava [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
- Mounia Akl (Lebanon/France/Spain/Sweden/Denmark/Norway/Qatar)
Mama, I'm Home [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
- Vladimir Bitokov (Russia)
Ma Nuit [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Antoinette Boulat
film profile
]
- Antoinette Boulat (France/Belgium)
La ragazza ha volato [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
- Wilma Labate (Italy/Slovenia)
7 prisioneros - Alexandre Moratto (Brazil)
The Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Teemu Nikki and Jani Pösö
interview: Teemu Nikki, Jani Pösö an…
film profile
]
 - Teemu Nikki (Finland)
La macchina delle immagini di Alfredo C. [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
- Roland Sejko (Italy)

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

(Translated from Italian)

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