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Venice Festivals by Year: Prizes, Juries, Favorites Other Fests: Cannes / Chicago
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Jurors: Mario Monicelli (president), Stefano Accorsi, Michael Ballhaus, Ann Hui, Pierre Jolivet, Monty Montgomery, Assumpta Serna
 Competition Films I Have Seen:Ranked in order of preference My Golden Lion: Code 46 (UK, dir. Michael Winterbottom) - Erratic sound mix and multiple story threads could be tidied, but it's a stunning, economical, hugely risky vision of a hybrid future The Return (Russia, dir. Andrei Zvyagintsev) - Powerful access to POV of embittered child, aided no end by phenomenal turn from Dobronravov; simplified style yields huge, potent impact Twentynine Palms (France, dir. Bruno Dumont) - Minus helmer's taut, portentous eye, would fall apart into lewd orgasms, usual dolor, histrionic finale; still a toss-up, but edge to Dumont (full review) 21 Grams (USA/Mexico, dir. Alejandro González Iñárritu) - Despite buzz, fractured editing seems fine for a while. But cumulative effect is handicapping. Penn, Del Toro, Leo fine; Watts, writing not. Zatôichi: The Blind Swordsman (Japan, dir. Takeshi Kitano) - I just saw garish, poorly-sewn pastiche; never caught the wave. But reader, I admit that I drifted. Competition Films I'm Curious to See: Ranked in order of interest; more on this year's lineup here (opens in a new window) Goodbye, Dragon Inn, Taiwan, dir. Tsai Ming-liang A Talking Picture, Portugal, dir. Manoel de Oliveira Good Morning, Night, Italy, dir. Marco Bellocchio Raja, France, dir. Jacques Doillon Rosenstrasse, Germany, dir. Margarethe von Trotta The Kite, Lebanon/France, dir. Randa Chahal Sabag Imagining Argentina, UK, dir. Christopher Hampton A Good Lawyer's Wife, South Korea, dir. Im Sang-soo Sidebar Films: Full info not readily available about non-competition screenings. If you've got the scoop, let me know!
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