The 78th Venice Film Festival kicked off on Wednesday with the world premiere of Pedro Almodóvar’s “Parallel Mothers,” starring Penélope Cruz and Milena Smit.
Cruz dazzled in a monochrome gown as she strutted down the walled-in red carpet alongside other A-listers and Italy’s president, Sergio Mattarella.
Parallel Mothers sees Penelope as Janis, one of two women who meet in a hospital room where they are both about to give birth.
Cruz portrays a middle-aged mother who doesn't regret falling pregnant, while Aitana Sánchez-Gijón stars as an adolescent terrified by the prospect of having a child.
Organizers are holding the festival under a strict anti-coronavirus protocol to help keep the 11-day event trouble-free.
Theatres are operating at half capacity and a wall blocks the view to the red carpet to stop crowds from gathering outside the main venue. Face masks and a health pass or a negative COVID test are required to attend screenings, and there will be fewer late-night parties.
Jury president Bong Joon Ho, after taking the stage, shared his belief about the Coronavirus outbreak will be over soon and noted that the cinema will remain forever.
The ceremony was hosted by Italian actress-singer Serena Rossi.
“My thoughts to Afghan mothers, to those skinny arms on the barbed wire; to mothers ready with an extreme gesture to separate from their children,” she said in her opening speech.
“I also think about artists and film directors from that country and their families that are running a huge risk, and that over the years have been building a cultural scene centered on respect and equality. And I want to tell you: You are not alone,” Rossi added.
The crisis will be a focal point for discussion at the festival, with an official panel on how Afghan filmmakers are being impacted as the Taliban takes power, and the need for them to be granted political refugee status.
The opening ceremony also witnessed Italian actor Roberto Benigni honored with the Golden Lion for lifetime achievement.
This year's Venice Film Festival will also see the long-awaited premiere of the Princess Diana biopic "Spencer", starring Kristen Stewart as the late Royal.
Titles vying for the Golden Lion award for best film include Jane Campion's "The Power of the Dog", starring Benedict Cumberbatch as a ranch owner who torments a young widow played by Dunst, and Kristen Stewart's "Spencer".
Also in the main line-up is Maggie Gyllenhaal's directorial debut "The Lost Daughter", starring Olivia Colman and Dakota Johnson.
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Zendaya and Timothée Chalamet in “Dune”[/caption]
On the other hand, Denis Villeneuve’s hotly-anticipated “Dune” is set to world premiere on Friday.
The movie is adapted from Frank Herbert’s seminal science fiction bestseller of the same name, and centers around Paul Atreides (Chalamet), a scion of the noble House of Atreides that is tasked with overseeing the barren desert planet Arrakis, known as Dune.
Villeneuve was last in Venice with a non-conventional sci-fi pic “Arrival” in 2016.
The movie also features a star-studded cast that includes Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Sharon Duncan Brewster, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Chang Chen, David Dastmalchian, Charlotte Rampling, Jason Momoa, and Javier Bardem.
“Dune” is scheduled to debut simultaneously on HBO Max and in theaters on October 1.
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