Brussels - Venice: Europe and the Arabs
Ten films and projects funded by the European Union have been selected to participate in the 81st edition of the Venice International Film Festival, which began yesterday, Wednesday.
Harvest by director Athina Rachel Tsangari is nominated for the prestigious Golden Lion award, while the Orizzonti category includes four titles supported by the European Union: La vie calme (Indifference) by director Alexandros Avranas; Wishing on a star by director Peter Kirikis; Anul nou care n-a fost (The New Year That Never Came) by director Bogdan Muresanu; and Pooja, Sir by director Deepak Rauniar. According to a statement by the Commission in Brussels, five other works that received funding from the European Union were nominated in this year’s competition, including the Venice Immersive category, as well as in the Giornate degli autori section. In addition, three additional titles were nominated in the “hors concours” categories. These works have received EU support of over €1.7 million under the Creative Europe MEDIA programme and have been co-produced by international teams from several EU countries.
Vera Jourova, Vice-President of the Commission for Values ​​and Transparency, will be present at this edition of the festival. She will meet the Artistic Director of the Venice Biennale Film Section and take part in a panel discussion on the social impact of documentaries entitled “Invisible Leaders”, organised by Think-Film and Impact Europe. She will also give the opening speech at the Ukrainian Day, organised by Venice Production Bridge, and attend the premiere of Olha Zorba’s film PISNI zemli, shcho povilno horyt (Songs of the Slowly Burning Earth), supported by MEDIA.
The winners of this edition will be announced on 7 September at the awards ceremony.
The Venice International Film Festival (Italian: Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica di Venezia) is the oldest film festival in the world. Founded by Giuseppe Volpi in 1932, under the name "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since opened every year in late August or early September, on the island of Lido in Venice, Italy. Considered one of the most prestigious festivals in the world, it is part of the Venice Biennale, a major art exhibition and festival of contemporary art.