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Festival coverage

Venice Film Festival

1 September – 11 September 2021

Californie
Californie

The 78th edition of the Venice Film Festival ran from September 1 to 11. Director Ridley Scott received the Glory to the Filmmaker prize and production designer Marcus Rowland received the Passion For Cinema award. The Golden Lion was won by French film Happening, directed by Audrey Diwan. Read about all the winners here.

Other years (10)

Box office and information

Latest reviews

  • Rhino
    Review preview for Rhino

    What Sentsov does really well here is to show us the humanity which lies within even the most monstrous of these men.

    Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
    Starting out as a petty thief, a young man nicknamed “Rhino” quickly works his way up the criminal hierarchy in 1990s Ukraine. Rhino has only known power and cruelty, but with nothing left to lose, could he finally find a chance at redemption?
  • You Resemble Me
    Review preview for You Resemble Me

    Both girls deliver exceptional performances in the powerful opening section, and if the film struggles to make the same impact afterwards, that serves to bring Hasna’s loss into sharp relief.

    Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
    Cultural and inter-generational trauma erupt in this story about two sisters on the outskirts of Paris.
  • Our Father, The Devil
    Review preview for Our Father, The Devil

    This is quite simply the best performance of the year, blowing everything else out of the water.

    Jennie Kermode · 5 out of 5
    A former child soldier struggling to come to terms with her past finds her world turned upside down with the arrival of a priest whom she belives she recognises.
  • The King Of Laughter
    Review preview for The King Of Laughter

    Servillo has spent much of the latter part of his career playing narcissistic characters, and he’s perfectly cast here.

    Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
    At the beginning of the 20th century, the great comic actor Eduardo Scarpetta was the king of the box office but when he decided to stage a tragedy, trouble ensued...
  • The Other Tom
    Review preview for The Other Tom

    The characters are beautifully drawn, the relationship between mother and son forming the bedrock of the film.

    Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
    Elena is a single mother dependant on Social Services and finds her custody of her child under threat after he is diagnosed with ADD.
  • Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song
    Review preview for Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song

    The end result could do with less tangent and more of the gent himself.

    Amber Wilkinson · 3 out of 5
    Exploration of singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen as seen through the prism of his internationally renowned hymn, Hallelujah.
  • Official Competition
    Review preview for Official Competition

    These are easy targets although there’s a lot of enjoyment to be hand in seeing them hit so accurately.

    Amber Wilkinson · 3 out of 5
    In search of significance and social prestige, a billionaire businessman decides to make a film to leave his mark. To do it, he hires the best: a stellar team... but they have egos to match.
  • Inu-oh
    Review preview for Inu-oh

    It is cleverly animated, intelligent and full of passion. Unfortunately, its mingling of the repetitive musical style of Noh with modern metal riffs, whilst it seems to please some viewers, will leave others wanting to scream for all the wrong reasons.

    Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
    Inu-Oh is born with unique physical characteristics, and the horrified adults cover every inch of his body with garments, including a mask on his face... but through his creative abilities he forges a different destiny to the one they intend.
  • Leave No Traces
    Review preview for Leave No Traces

    If Matuszyński’s film tends towards soap opera in places and could definitely do with a trim here and there, its long running time does allow the grind of what happens to play out in ways that emphasise the sheer slog of it.

    Amber Wilkinson · 3.5 out of 5
    Poland, 1983. The country is shaken by the case of Grzegorz Przemyk - a high school student beaten to death by militia. Based on true events, the film follows the story of Jurek - the only witness of the beating, who overnight became the number one enemy of the state.
  • Miracle
    Review preview for Miracle

    With impressive cinematography at every stage, the film hinges on two magnificent slow, circular sequences, one in the middle and one at the end, each of which resets the narrative.

    Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
    Divided into two chapters, Miracol follows a young novice as she sneaks out of an isolated convent to attend to an urgent matter. The second part deals with a determined police detective trying to understand what happened to her.

A–Z of Venice Film Festival 2021 reviews

Features

  • Hell to pay
    Ellie Foumbi on child soldiers, second chances and Our Father, The Devil
  • Perfect timing
    Juanjo Giménez on sound design, creating mood and mystery in Out of Sync
  • Bringing Dune to life
    Donald Mowat on the make-up that has earned him an Oscar nomination
  • Titanic plans
    Teemu Nikki on why he was inspired to write a script from a blind man's perspective
  • Stepping into a girl's world
    Alessandro Cassigoli and Casey Kauffman on their long-term commitment to coming-of-age film Californie
  • The rhythms of Full Time
    Director Eric Gravel on finding the right pace and story for his single mum drama
  • Dream collector
    Shirin Neshat on Jean-Claude Carrière and Land Of Dreams

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