The 66th annual Venice Film Festival

Venice Film Festival

The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...

held in Venice

Venice

Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...

, Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

, was opened on September 2, 2009 by Baarìa - La porta del vento

Baarìa - La porta del vento

Baarìa is a 2009 Italian film directed by Giuseppe Tornatore. It was the opening film of the 66th Venice International Film Festival in September 2009.-Plot:...

. International competition jury, led by Ang Lee

Ang Lee

Ang Lee is a Taiwanese film director. Lee has directed a diverse set of films such as Eat Drink Man Woman , Sense and Sensibility , Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon , Hulk , and Brokeback Mountain , for which he won an Academy...

, awarded Leone d'Oro to Lebanon. The festival was closed on September 12, 2009, with Maria Grazia Cucinotta

Maria Grazia Cucinotta

Maria Grazia Cucinotta is an Siciian/Italian actress who has featured in many films and television series since 1990, she has also worked as a producer, screenwriter and model....

 serving as the festival's hostess.

Festival line-up

	English title	Original title	Director(s)	Country
Opener	Baarìa - La porta del vento Baarìa - La porta del vento Baarìa is a 2009 Italian film directed by Giuseppe Tornatore. It was the opening film of the 66th Venice International Film Festival in September 2009.-Plot:...		Giuseppe Tornatore Giuseppe Tornatore -Life and career:Born in Bagheria near Palermo, Tornatore developed an interest in acting and the theatre from at least the age of 16 and put on works by Luigi Pirandello and Eduardo De Filippo.He worked initially as a freelance photographer...	Italy
Closer	Chengdu, I Love You Chengdu, I Love You Chengdu, I Love You is Chinese film directed by Cui Jian, Fruit Chan, Jin-ho Hur, to be released in October 2009. Runtime is 78 minutes with languages in Mandarin and English.- Venice release :...		Fruit Chan Fruit Chan Fruit Chan Gor is an independent Hong Kong Second Wave screenwriter, filmmaker and producer, who is best known for his style of film reflecting the everyday life of Hong Kong people. He is well known for using amateur actors in his films...  & Cui Jian Cui Jian Cui Jian is a Beijing-based Chinese singer-songwriter, trumpeter and guitarist. Affectionately called "Old Cui" , he is considered to be a pioneer in Chinese rock music and one of the first Chinese artists to write rock songs...	Mainland China

Films in competition

The following 25 films competed for the Leone d'oro.

English title	Original title	Director(s)	Country
Baarìa	Baarìa - La porta del vento Baarìa - La porta del vento Baarìa is a 2009 Italian film directed by Giuseppe Tornatore. It was the opening film of the 66th Venice International Film Festival in September 2009.-Plot:...	Giuseppe Tornatore Giuseppe Tornatore -Life and career:Born in Bagheria near Palermo, Tornatore developed an interest in acting and the theatre from at least the age of 16 and put on works by Luigi Pirandello and Eduardo De Filippo.He worked initially as a freelance photographer...	Italy/ Early Modern France
Soul Kitchen Soul Kitchen (film) Soul Kitchen is a 2009 German comedy film directed by Fatih Akın, with a screenplay by Akin and Adam Bousdoukos. Bousdoukos based the story on his own experiences as the owner of a Greek tavern named "Taverna", where Akin was a regular customer. Akin filmed the movie entirely in the Hamburg...		Fatih Akın Fatih Akin Fatih Akın is a German film director, screenwriter and producer of Turkish descent.- Personal life :Akın was born in 1973 in Hamburg to parents of Turkish ethnicity...	Germany/ Turkey
The Double Hour	La doppia ora	Giuseppe Capotondi Giuseppe Capotondi Giuseppe Capotondi is a director of music videos and commercials signed to Oil Factory in USA and Factory Films in the United Kingdom...	Italy
Persecution Persecution Persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group by another group. The most common forms are religious persecution, ethnic persecution, and political persecution, though there is naturally some overlap between these terms. The inflicting of suffering, harassment, isolation,...	Persécution Persécution Persécution is a 2009 romantic-drama film directed by Patrice Chéreau. It stars Romain Duris, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Jean-Hugues Anglade. It premiered on 5 September 2009 at the 66th Venice International Film Festival where it was nominated for the Golden Lion.-Plot:Daniel, 35, is haunted by a...	Patrice Chéreau Patrice Chéreau Patrice Chéreau is a French opera and theatre director, filmmaker, actor, and producer.-Biography:Patrice Chéreau was born in Lézigné, Maine-et-Loire, and went to school in Paris. At a young age he became well-known to Parisian critics as director, actor, and stage manager of his high-school theatre...	Early Modern France
Accident Accident (2009 film) Accident , originally titled Assassins , is a 2009 Hong Kong action thriller directed by Soi Cheang, produced by Johnnie To and starring Louis Koo, and Richie Ren...	Yi ngoi	Cheang Pou-Soi Cheang Pou-Soi Soi Cheang Pou-Soi is a Hong Kong film director, assistant director, screenwriter, script supervisor, and actor.-Filmography as director:* Accident * Shamo * Dog Bite Dog * Home Sweet Home...	Hong Kong/ Mainland China
	Lo spazio bianco	Francesca Comencini Francesca Comencini Francesca Comencini is an Italian film director and screenwriter. She attended the Lycée français Chateaubriand school with her sisters. She has directed 14 films since 1984. Her film Le parole di mio padre was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival...	Italy
White Material White Material White Material is a 2009 French film directed by Claire Denis and co-written with Marie NDiaye.The films stars Isabelle Huppert as Maria Vial, a struggling French coffee producer in an unnamed African country, who decides to stay at her coffee plantation in spite of an erupting civil war...		Claire Denis Claire Denis Claire Denis is a French film director and Professor of Film at the European Graduate School in Saas-Fee, Switzerland.-Early life:...	Early Modern France
Mr Nobody Mr. Nobody (film) Mr. Nobody is a 2009 Belgian science fiction drama film directed by Jaco Van Dormael, starring Jared Leto, Diane Kruger, Linh Dan Pham, Sarah Polley, Natasha Little, Rhys Ifans and Daniel Mays. This movie tells the life story of Nemo Nobody, the last mortal on Earth. Nemo is 118 years old and lives...		Jaco van Dormael Jaco Van Dormael Jaco Van Dormael is a Belgian film director, screenwriter and playwright. His complex and critically acclaimed films are especially noted for their respectful and sympathetic portrayal of people with mental and physical disabilities.- Biography :In the 1980s, he became interested in filmmaking and...	Canada/ Belgium/ Early Modern France
A Single Man		Tom Ford Tom Ford Thomas Carlyle "Tom" Ford is an American fashion designer and film director. He gained international fame for his turnaround of the Gucci fashion house and the creation of the Tom Ford label before directing the Oscar-nominated film A Single Man.-Early life :Tom Ford was born August 27, 1961 in...	United States
Lourdes Lourdes (film) Lourdes is a 2009 film directed by Jessica Hausner. It received the 2009 Vienna International Film Festival's Vienna Film Prize for best film.-Plot:Christine is a wheelchair-using woman with severe multiple sclerosis...		Jessica Hausner Jessica Hausner Jessica Hausner is an Austrian film director and screenwriter. She has directed six films since 1995. Her film Lovely Rita was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival...	Austria
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans is a 2009 American crime drama film directed by Werner Herzog and starring Nicolas Cage.-Overview:...		Werner Herzog Werner Herzog Werner Herzog Stipetić , known as Werner Herzog, is a German film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and opera director.He is often considered as one of the greatest figures of the New German Cinema, along with Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Margarethe von Trotta, Volker Schlöndorff, Werner...	United States
The Road		John Hillcoat John Hillcoat John Hillcoat is an Australian screenwriter and film director.Hillcoat was born in Queensland, Australia, and was raised in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. As a child, his paintings were featured in the Art Gallery of Hamilton. He has repeatedly worked with Nick Cave and also the band Depeche Mode...	United States
Between Two Worlds	Ahasin Wetei	Vimukthi Jayasundara Vimukthi Jayasundara Vimukthi Jayasundara is an award winning Sri Lankan film director.-Early life:Vimukthi Jayasundara was born in Ratnapura, Sri Lanka. He was educated at Mahinda College, Galle. Vimukthi began his cinematic career as a journalist, film critic and screenwriter. He attended the Institute for Film and...	Sri Lanka
The Traveller The Traveller (2009 film) The Traveller is an Egyptian Film directed by Ahmed Maher The story takes place in the course of three days of the life of Hassan, the octogenarian protagonist, played by Khaled El Nabawy as the young Hassan and Omar Sharif as the older Hassan...	El Mosafer	Ahmed Maher Ahmad Maher (director) Ahmad Maher is an Egyptian film director. His directorial debut The Traveller competed for the Golden Lion at the 66th Venice International Film Festival. It was also screened in the Special Presentations section at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival.-External links:...	Egypt
Lebanon	Levanon	Samuel Maoz Samuel Maoz Samuel Maoz is an Israeli film director. His2009 film, Lebanon won the Golden Lion at the 66th Venice International Film Festival.-Biography:...	Israel
Lola		Brillante Mendoza Brillante Mendoza Brillante Mendoza is a Filipino film director. He has directed nine films since 2005. He won the award for Best Director for his film Kinatay at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival...	Philippines
Capitalism: A Love Story Capitalism: A Love Story Capitalism: A Love Story is a 2009 American documentary film directed, written by and starring Michael Moore. The film centers on the late-2000s financial crisis and the recovery stimulus, while putting forward an indictment of the current economic order in the United States and capitalism in general...		Michael Moore Michael Moore Michael Francis Moore is an American filmmaker, author, social critic and activist. He is the director and producer of Fahrenheit 9/11, which is the highest-grossing documentary of all time. His films Bowling for Columbine and Sicko also place in the top ten highest-grossing documentaries...	United States
Women Without Men	Zanan-e bedun-e mardan	Shirin Neshat Shirin Neshat Shirin Neshat شیرین نشاط is an Iranian visual artist who lives in New York. She is known primarily for her work in film, video and photography.-Background:Neshat's parents were upper middle-class...	Germany
	Il grande sogno	Michele Placido Michele Placido Michele Placido is an internationally known Italian actor and director. He is best known for the role of Corrado Cattani in the TV series La Piovra.-Life and career:...	Italy/ Early Modern France
36 Views from the Pic Saint-Loup 36 Views from the Pic Saint-Loup 36 Views from the Pic Saint-Loup is a 2009 French-language drama film directed by Jacques Rivette. It was screened in the main competition at the 66th Venice International Film Festival.-Cast:* Jane Birkin as Kate* Sergio Castellitto as Vittorio...	36 vues du Pic Saint-Loup	Jacques Rivette Jacques Rivette Jacques Rivette is a French film director. His most well known films include Celine and Julie Go Boating, La Belle Noiseuse and the cult film Out 1....	Italy/ Early Modern France
Survival of the Dead		George A. Romero George A. Romero George Andrew Romero is a Canadian-American film director, screenwriter and editor, best known for his gruesome and satirical horror films about a hypothetical zombie apocalypse. He is nicknamed "Godfather of all Zombies." -Life and career:...	United States
Life During Wartime Life During Wartime (film) Life During Wartime is a 2009 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Todd Solondz, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival on September 2009. It is a direct, but loose sequel to his 1998 film Happiness, with new actors playing the same characters, and imperfect continuity...		Todd Solondz Todd Solondz Todd Solondz is an American independent film screenwriter and director known for his style of dark, thought-provoking, socially conscious satire. Solondz has been critically acclaimed for his examination of the "dark underbelly of middle class American suburbia", a reflection of his own background...	United States
Tetsuo: The Bullet Man Tetsuo: The Bullet Man Tetsuo: The Bullet Man is the third film in Shinya Tsukamoto's cyberpunk film series, and the first to be filmed in English.-Plot:Anthony is a man with an American father and a deceased Japanese mother living and working in Tokyo. One day his son is run over and killed by Yatsu, this film's version...	Tetsuo Project	Shinya Tsukamoto Shinya Tsukamoto is a Japanese film director and actor with a considerable cult following both domestically and abroad.-Biography:Tsukamoto started making movies at the age of 14, when his father gave him a Super 8 camera. He made a number of films, ranging...	Japan
Prince of Tears Prince of Tears Prince of Tears is a historical drama film by Yonfan. It was nominated for the Golden Lion at the 66th Venice International Film Festival. It tells the story of a family embroiled in the tragic "White Terror" suppression of political dissidents that was wrought during the 1950s by the Kuomintang...	Lei wangzi(淚王子)	Yonfan Yonfan Yonfan is a Hong Kong film director and photographer.-Biography:...	Republic of China
My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done? is a film directed by Werner Herzog and produced by David Lynch, inspired by the story of murderer Mark Yavorsky...		Werner Herzog Werner Herzog Werner Herzog Stipetić , known as Werner Herzog, is a German film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and opera director.He is often considered as one of the greatest figures of the New German Cinema, along with Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Margarethe von Trotta, Volker Schlöndorff, Werner...	United States

Films out of competition

The following films were shown out of competition:

English title	Original title	Director(s)	Country
Brooklyn's Finest Brooklyn's Finest Brooklyn's Finest is a 2009 American crime film starring Richard Gere, Don Cheadle, Ethan Hawke, and Wesley Snipes in his first theatrical film since 2004's Blade: Trinity. The film also stars Will Patton, Ellen Barkin and Vincent D'Onofrio. It is directed by Antoine Fuqua, and written by Michael...		Antoine Fuqua Antoine Fuqua Antoine Fuqua is an American film director. He directed the film Training Day as well as Tears of the Sun, King Arthur, Shooter and Brooklyn's Finest...	United States
Chengdu, I Love You Chengdu, I Love You Chengdu, I Love You is Chinese film directed by Cui Jian, Fruit Chan, Jin-ho Hur, to be released in October 2009. Runtime is 78 minutes with languages in Mandarin and English.- Venice release :...		Fruit Chan Fruit Chan Fruit Chan Gor is an independent Hong Kong Second Wave screenwriter, filmmaker and producer, who is best known for his style of film reflecting the everyday life of Hong Kong people. He is well known for using amateur actors in his films...  & Cui Jian Cui Jian Cui Jian is a Beijing-based Chinese singer-songwriter, trumpeter and guitarist. Affectionately called "Old Cui" , he is considered to be a pioneer in Chinese rock music and one of the first Chinese artists to write rock songs...	Mainland China
Delhi-6 Delhi-6 Delhi-6 is a 2009 Hindi-language film directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and starring Abhishek Bachchan, Sonam Kapoor, Om Puri, Waheeda Rahman, Rishi Kapoor, Atul Kulkarni, Deepak Dobriyal and Divya Dutta. The film is reportedly based on Mehra's growing up years in Chandni Chowk area of Old...	दिल्ली 6	Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra is an Indian filmmaker and screenwriter. He is best known for writing and directing Rang De Basanti , for which he won Best Director awards at the 2006 Filmfare Awards and National Film Awards and received a BAFTA Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film...	India
Dev.D		Anurag Kashyap Anurag Kashyap (director) Anurag Singh Kashyap is an Indian film director and screenwriter. As a director, he is known for Black Friday , a controversial and award-winning Hindi film about the 1993 Bombay bombings, followed by No Smoking , Dev D and Gulaal...	India
Gulaal Gulaal Gulaal is a 2009 Indian film directed by Anurag Kashyap and starring Kay Kay Menon, Raj Singh Chaudhary, Abhimanyu Singh, Deepak Dobriyal, Ayesha Mohan, Jesse Randhawa, Piyush Mishra and Aditya Srivastava. The film explores themes such as pursuit of power, quest for legitimacy, perceived...	गुलाल	Anurag Kashyap Anurag Kashyap (director) Anurag Singh Kashyap is an Indian film director and screenwriter. As a director, he is known for Black Friday , a controversial and award-winning Hindi film about the 1993 Bombay bombings, followed by No Smoking , Dev D and Gulaal...	India
	L'oro di cuba	Giuliano Montaldo Giuliano Montaldo Giuliano Montaldo is an Italian film director.While he was still a young student, Montaldo was recruited by the director Carlo Lizzani for the role of leading actor in the film Achtung! Banditi!...	Italy
	Le ombre rosse	Francesco Maselli Francesco Maselli Francesco Maselli or Citto Maselli is an Italian film director and screenwriter. He has directed 38 films since 1949...	Italy
Napoli Napoli Napoli Napoli Napoli Napoli Napoli, Napoli, Napoli is a 2009 documentary film directed by Abel Ferrara about the problems in early 21st century Naples.-Synopsis:Napoli, Napoli, Napoli depicts the city Naples, filmed as a documentary with intersected episodes of fiction....		Abel Ferrara Abel Ferrara Abel Ferrara is an American film screenwriter and director. He is best known as an independent filmmaker of such films as The Driller Killer , Ms. 45 , King of New York , Bad Lieutenant and The Funeral .-Early life:Ferrara was born in the Bronx of Italian and Irish descent...	Italy
	Prove per una tragedia siciliana	Roman Paska & John Turturro John Turturro John Michael Turturro is an American actor, writer and director known for his roles in the films Do the Right Thing , Miller's Crossing , Barton Fink , Quiz Show , The Big Lebowski , O Brother, Where Art Thou? and the Transformers film series...	Italy
REC 2 REC 2 REC 2 or [●REC]² is the 2009 Spanish horror film sequel to 2007's REC. Written and directed by Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza, both of whom returned from the previous film, the story takes place immediately after the events of the first film, with producing company Filmax International describing...		Jaume Balagueró Jaume Balagueró Jaume Balagueró i Bernat , is a Spanish film director widely known for his horror films.- Life :Jaume Balagueró was born in Lleida, and grew up in Barcelona. He studied communications and photography at the University of Barcelona, graduating in 1991 with a degree in Communication Sciences...  & Paco Plaza Paco Plaza Paco Plaza is a Spanish film director best known for writing and directing REC and REC 2 with Jaume Balagueró. He then went on to direct the REC series prequel REC:Genesis by himself while Jaume Balagueró directed the sequel REC Apocalypse....	Spain
Scheherazade, Tell Me a Story	Ehki ya shahrazade	Yousry Nasrallah Yousry Nasrallah Yousry Nasrallah is an Egyptian film director.Nasrallah was born to a Coptic Christian family in Cairo. He graduated in economics and political science at Cairo University. Following, he worked as a film critic and directing assistant in Beirut from 1978 to 1982...	Egypt
South of the Border		Oliver Stone Oliver Stone William Oliver Stone is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Stone became well known in the late 1980s and the early 1990s for directing a series of films about the Vietnam War, for which he had previously participated as an infantry soldier. His work frequently focuses on...	United States
The Hole in 3D		Joe Dante Joe Dante Joseph "Joe" Dante, Jr. is an American film director and producer of films generally with humorous and science fiction content....	United States
The Informant!		Steven Soderbergh Steven Soderbergh Steven Andrew Soderbergh is an American film producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, editor, and an Academy Award-winning film director. He is best known for directing commercial Hollywood films like Erin Brockovich, Traffic, and the remake of Ocean's Eleven, but he has also directed smaller less...	United States
The Men Who Stare at Goats The Men Who Stare at Goats (film) The Men Who Stare at Goats is a 2009 comedy war film directed by Grant Heslov and written by Peter Straughan and released in theaters on November 6, 2009...		Grant Heslov Grant Heslov Grant Heslov is an American actor, film producer, screenwriter and director.-Early life:Heslov was born in Los Angeles, into a Jewish family and was raised in the Palos Verdes area of Los Angeles. He attended Palos Verdes High School, the University of Southern California along with friend Tate...	United States
Toy Story 3D		John Lasseter John Lasseter John Alan Lasseter is an American animator, director and the chief creative officer at Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios. He is also currently the Principal Creative Advisor for Walt Disney Imagineering....	United States
Toy Story 2 3D		John Lasseter John Lasseter John Alan Lasseter is an American animator, director and the chief creative officer at Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios. He is also currently the Principal Creative Advisor for Walt Disney Imagineering.... , Ash Brannon Ash Brannon Ash Brannon is an American animator, writer and director. He was a story artist and directing animator on Toy Story and co-director on Toy Story 2...  & Lee Unkrich Lee Unkrich Lee Unkrich is an American director and film editor. He is a longtime member of the creative team at Pixar, where he started in 1994 as a film editor. He later began directing, first as co-director of Toy Story 2...	United States
Valhalla Rising Valhalla Rising (film) Valhalla Rising is a 2009 English-language film directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, starring Mads Mikkelsen. The film takes place in 1000 AD and follows a Norse warrior named One-Eye and a boy named Are as they travel with a band of Christian Crusaders in pursuit of a Crusade. Instead, they find...		Nicolas Winding Refn	Denmark/
Yona Yona Penguin Yona Yona Penguin Yona Yona Penguin is an animated film by the Japanese anime studio Madhouse and sister company Dynamo Pictures. It was Madhouse's first fully 3D CGI film...	Yonayona pengin	Rintaro Rintaro is the pseudonym of , a well-known director of anime. He works frequently with the animation studio Madhouse , though he is a freelance director not employed directly by any one studio. He began working in the animation industry—at age 17—as an in-between animator on the 1958 film Hakujaden...	Japan/ Early Modern France

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