Venice film festival

'The Insult' takes on taboos of Lebanon's civil war

Beirut - Muslimchronicle

Nearly three decades after it ended, Lebanon's civil war returned to haunt Beirut this week at a screening of the film "The Insult," which forcefully explores the taboos of the conflict. The movie opened to rave reviews at the Venice Film Festival, earning accolades for its French-Lebanese director Ziad Doueiri and a Volpi Cup for Palestinian actor Kamel El Basha.Read more

Ai Weiwei showcases refugee epic in Venice

Venice - Muslimchronicle

An impatient toddler chides his mother for not being quick enough in getting him into his pair of newly-acquired boots. Finally they're on and he wriggles free to put the new footwear to good use: kicking his siblings and friends on the shins. He might be a refugee, detained in a transit camp with the rest of his family, waitingRead more

Philippine drama wins top prize at VFF

Venice - Arab Today

A nearly four-hour long movie about a woman’s thirst for revenge and her feelings of forgiveness after 30 years in jail for a crime she did not commit won the top prize at the Venice Film Festival (VFF). Director Lav Diaz has described “Ang Babaeng Humayo” (“The Woman Who Left“) as a testimony to the struggles of the Philippines afterRead more

Denzel’s role in new movie makes him a kid again

Venice - Arab Today

As a pastor’s son, Denzel Washington never got to watch Westerns as a child, but playing around with guns and horses in Antoine Fuqua’s remake of “The Magnificent Seven” was like being a kid again, he said at the Venice film festival. Fuqua’s take on a story about hired guns in the Old West protecting a town from thieves closedRead more

Filipino revenge tale wins top prize at Venice Film Festival

Venice, Italy - Arab Today

The black-and-white revenge tale “The Woman Who Left” by Filipino director Lav Diaz won the Golden Lion prize for best picture Saturday at the Venice Film Festival. Andre Konchalovsky and Amat Escalante shared this year’s Silver Lion for best direction for their respective films: “Paradise” from Russia and Germany and “The Untamed” from Mexico. Tom Ford’s noir thriller “Nocturnal Animals”Read more

‘Jackie’ film portrays mystery of first lady after Kennedy’s death

Venice - Arab Today

Film director Pablo Larrain said his portrayal of Jacqueline Kennedy in the aftermath of her husband’s assassination is not a biopic but rather a chance to look at an intriguing and painful story from the point of view of the former first lady. Larrain was speaking at the Venice film festival where “Jackie,” starring Natalie Portman, will premier later on Wednesday andRead more

Performing as person rejected by society ‘terrifying experience’

Venice - Arab Today

Playing a society-reject who tries to survive in a desert wasteland after having her limbs cut off by cannibals was a terrifying experience, British model-turned-actress Suki Waterhouse said at the Venice film festival. The 24-year-old actress landed her first major role with “The Bad Batch,” which premieres in Venice and is one of 20 US and international movies competing forRead more

‘Well-mannered aliens’ make contact in Venice

Venice - Arab Today

A group of civilized if many-legged aliens makes contact with the world in “Arrival,” in competition at the Venice film festival Thursday, and it’s up to Amy Adams to figure out what they want. Adams, the US star of “The Master” and “American Hustle,” plays expert linguist Louise Banks who is brought in by the US Army to help translateRead more

Magical musical kicks off star-studded Venice festival

Venice - Arab Today

A bewitching musical starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone opened the Venice film festival Wednesday, kicking off a US-heavy line-up of flicks vying for the coveted Golden Lion. Damien Chazelle’s “La La Land,” described as a tribute to the Golden Age of American musicals, reunited the stars, who appeared together in the 2011 romcom “Crazy, Stupid, Love” — but withRead more