Saudi Crown Prince, Abu Dhabi deputy ruler discuss regional stability, strategic ties in Jeddah    Saudi leadership congratulates President Trump on U.S. Independence Day    Saudi Arabia tops global ICT Development Index for 2025    Hamas says it is consulting other Palestinian groups on Gaza ceasefire plan    Germany seeks agreement with Taliban to take back convicted Afghan migrants    Alkhorayef Commercial Company partners with XSQUARE Technologies to elevate logistics automation in Saudi Arabia    Hotel occupancy in Saudi Arabia rises to 63% as tourism workforce tops 983,000 in Q1 2025    Saudi e-commerce sales jump to SR69 billion during 1Q 2025    German Chancellor calls Saudi Crown Prince to discuss regional developments    SFDA to penalize 996 erring establishments    'Morally repugnant': US Cardinal hits out at Trump's immigration policy    At 90, the Dalai Lama braces for final showdown with Beijing Reincarnation    Portugal and Liverpool FC winger Diogo Jota dies in car accident in Spain    Michael Madsen, actor of 'Kill Bill' and 'Reservoir Dogs' fame, dead at 67    Al Hilal sign Abderrazak Hamdallah on loan for Club World Cup push    Lacazette joins NEOM SC as Saudi Pro League newcomers boost attack with French star    BTS are back: K-pop band confirm new album and tour    Michelin Guide launches in Saudi Arabia with phased rollout in 2025    Al Hilal stun Manchester City in seven-goal thriller to reach Club World Cup quarterfinals    'How fragile we are': Roskilde Festival tragedy remembered 25 years on    Sholay: Bollywood epic roars back to big screen after 50 years with new ending    Ministry launches online booking for slaughterhouses on eve of Eid Al-Adha    Shah Rukh Khan makes Met Gala debut in Sabyasachi    Pakistani star's Bollywood return excites fans and riles far right    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Venice film fest serves up a smorgasbord
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 28 - 08 - 2008

BRAD PITT and George Clooney hit the red carpet on Wednesday with their latest movie “Burn After Reading,” a satirical comedy by Oscar winners the Coen brothers which opens this year's Venice film festival.
The actors will bring A-list star power to the 11-day event which features everything from obscure Asian art house cinema to Hollywood heavyweights.
Although there are five U.S. films in the main competition lineup of 21, they all represent lower-budget, “independent” cinema as opposed to the big studios, which are not in Venice this time around.
Festival director Marco Mueller brushed aside concerns that Venice, which faces stiff competition from the Toronto film festival starting next month and the Rome film festival in October, was struggling to secure top titles and talent.
Mueller, who with his team saw around 3,000 films which were whittled down to 55 in the official selection, said the lighter Hollywood studio presence was partly down to the 14-week writers' strike that ended in February.
“We have five American films in competition and most of those films are films with stars, so in a way the strike only meant that some of the bigger studio films will only be released late December or January,” he told Reuters. “But American cinema is very much at the center of the program.”
“Burn After Reading” is not in competition, but reaction in Venice will indicate whether Joel and Ethan Coen can repeat their success of 2008 when “No Country For Old Men” won four Academy Awards including best picture and director.
The festival, held on the Lido island just across the water from the canal city, is increasingly seen as an early barometer of Oscar glory, and recently helped launch the award campaigns of films such as “The Queen” and “Brokeback Mountain.”
“Burn After Reading” is a black comedy that follows two gym employees seeking to sell a computer disc containing memoirs of a sacked CIA analyst, but events quickly spiral out of control.
U.S. films in competition in Venice include “Rachel Getting Married,” directed by Oscar-winner Jonathan Demme and starring Anne Hathaway and Debra Winger, who has been nominated three times for an Academy Award.
Kathryn Bigelow directs Iraqi drama “The Hurt Locker,” a year after Brian De Palma's “Redacted” stunned audiences in Venice with its brutal reconstruction of real-life events from the war.
Mickey Rourke stars in Darren Aronofsky's “The Wrestler” while acclaimed Mexican screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga makes his directorial debut with “The Burning Plain” starring Oscar-winners Charlize Theron and Kim Basinger. Japan has three main competition entries, led by revered animation director Hayao Miyazaki whose “Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea” is already storming the box office at home.
Joining it will be Mamoru Oshii's animated “The Sky Crawlers,” while Takeshi Kitano, who won the Golden Lion in 1997, presents “Achilles and the Tortoise.”
Out of competition, Matt Tyrnauer brings his documentary of Italian fashion designer Valentino called “Valentino: The Last Emperor,” while Emmanuelle Beart stars in Fabrice Du Welz's horror “Vinyan.”


Clic here to read the story from its source.