Monticellosis in Venice/12: the exhibition is over, my votes and thanks

The Venice Film Festival has ended. Several days have already passed, but it’s strange to say this, because I still have one foot in that parallel world that is Lido. It is difficult to sum up what was and what could have been, the films seen and the characters met, but most of all the new friendships that are born by chance and that are destined to last in the years to come. The next morning, the Lido began dismantling, the carpet was torn, the posters were removed, and the Excelsior returned to its role as a luxury hotel dominated by wealthy vacationers. Each of the days spent at the Festival was filled with emotions, films, special meetings and conversations, many of which were at the limit of possibilities, even on the last day we did not spare ourselves.

Kaylee Spaeny

Unlike previous years, we walked few red carpets; “walking the red carpet” in our parlance as fans and enthusiasts means sneaking out at dawn to secure your spot and hold it throughout the day to be in the front row when the guests parade. There were very few international stars due to the strike, so we saved hours in the sun by chasing them elsewhere and devoting that time to shows. We only got it wrong 3 times: on the opening day, at the Ferrari presentation (a necessary choice to see Patrick Dempsey again) and at the closing to be able to be in the front row to applaud (or boo) the winning Lions.

We ended our festival by literally waking up at dawn; By 6.30 we were already a group in front of the carpet to take our seats, we were so tired from the previous days that we no longer felt tired.
No one showed up for the red carpet until 6pm, but we honestly never thought about the almost 12 hour wait. A lot happens at the foot of the carpet, we chat, discuss movies and, above all, friendships are born. This is how I met all the friends of the exhibition, who were expecting something and were ready to cooperate in order to meet our favorite. Now everyone knows everyone, and even if it is poorly said, those who are not in the know can only dream of the front row now reserved for us believers.

Damien Chazelle

After several days full of films, the last one I watched only once, La Societad de la Neve, a new film from director Juan Antonio Bayona (already the director of films like The Orphanage and The Orphanage). Impossible”), the final installment of the Venezia 80 series, tells the story of a 1972 Andean air tragedy in which passengers find themselves fighting between life and death in an incredible survival mission. The story is fresh and well conceived, not too crude, but touching, ready to make us think not only about the tragedy itself, but also about what happened afterwards; no pietism, but good, linear writing that takes you straight into the story. The almost blinding white snow dominates and gives the impression of being in a parallel world where the rules have been rewritten and where there is no longer any difference between life and death. We were all amazed by this fantastic film which, if it had been in competition, would certainly have won an award.

Jane Campion

You should know that the final day of a film festival is always special: there are no major events, few screenings, but the elusive “Toto Leone” begins, that is, attempts to understand who will receive prizes from the film festival. exhibition. There are a total of eight awards in the official selection: a Golden Lion for Best Film, a Silver Lion for Best Director, Best Screenplay, the Mastroianni Prize for Best Promise, the Volpi Cup for Best Male Interpretation and Best Female Interpretation, as well as two jury awards. It is almost impossible to understand the jury’s intentions, but in the afternoon the hypotheses become more specific. Thanks to agency photographs of actors and directors arriving at the hotel, it is possible to understand who is there and, therefore, who will receive the prize. My thoughts immediately became clear. I’ve been waiting for “Poor Little Things” for many years, and when rumors started that Yorgos Lanthimos had landed, I couldn’t stand it: I missed the presentation day, but this time I definitely had to meet one of my friends, my favorite director. Among those who arrived was also Pablo Larraín, director of El Conde, a film I absolutely adored. Quickly as a group we went to print out a giant poster so we could sign autographs.

Pablo Larrain

The closing carpet was truly full of emotions and unexpected moments, starting with the welcome we gave to the exhibition director, Alberto Barbera. Stefano, one of the guys in our group, came up with the crazy idea of ​​printing a series of photographs depicting the director as a holy card and giving them to all of us as a surprise, which turned out to be a complete success. The director, not believing his eyes, came up to greet us one after another, thanking us for our dedication to the exhibition.

Before the arrival of the winners, there is a jury parade: the presentation of the prize for the first work of Luigi De Laurentiis, chaired by director Alice Diop and the Orizzonti jury with Jonas Carpignano. The chairman of the jury of the competition, Damien Chazelle, smiled as usual, his kindness literally stunned us during these days of the exhibition, and we already miss the way he walked along the Lido in the company of his wife and son. Then there’s Gabriele Mainetti, Jane Campion, who has become a bit like our festival mother, and finally Martin McDonagh, for whom we now have a special affection. In previous parts of the diary I told you about how Irene and I met him in Cannes and about small conversations in the lagoon, now the Irish director has become another member of our festival family. Silent and lonely, he always transformed at our sight and gave us smiles; As soon as he noticed us from the closing carpet, he ran to us to say goodbye with a promise to see us again as soon as possible.

Peter Sarsgaar

The winners received thunderous applause, starting with Pablo Larraín, whom I personally thanked for his film about the vampire Pinochet, Caylee Speeney, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Michela Ramazzotti and Peter Sarsgaard, whom we greeted with applause in the stadium. However, a different reception was met by Matteo Garrone, the director of I Am Captain, a film we didn’t like and didn’t think would be rewarded. The Roman director walked towards us, believing that we were applauding him, with Yorgos Lanthimos standing right behind him. The same euphoria continued during the awards ceremony, which we watched on large screens as if we were in the stadium. This year, out of 23 films in competition, I watched 20 and was thus able to get a personal idea of ​​the prizes awarded; among those missing was Hamaguchi’s The Devil Does Not Exist, which won the jury prize and which everyone agreed was very moving.

Georgia and the other boys with director Barbera

The work that was rightfully celebrated was “Green Border”, a Polish film about a migrant journey, which received a special prize, the same goes for Larrain, who took home best screenplay with “Il conde”. None of us really agree with two Volpi Cups for the best performances; There were other actors who should have been honored, including the men’s Caleb Landry Jones from “Dogman” and the women’s Emma Stone from “Poor Man,” but even so, perhaps the walkout forced the jury to choose who could attend. Among the joy there were also moments of indignation, not so much about the Mastroianni Prize awarded to the main character of “I Am Captain”, but about the silver lion for best director. There was an “Ow” in the air, convinced that we were witnessing the presentation of yet another political award. However, the anger did not last long and left the joy with the golden lion, when we saw Lanthimos on stage receiving the prestigious award, we burst into thunderous applause.

This year, more than others, I followed the competition with all my heart, 20 films out of 23 in competition, to which we must add out-of-competition films from other sections. There was no shortage of total lion and finally my favorite was rewarded too. “Poor Things” was a real shock, followed by “Aenea” by Pietro Castellitto, which left me speechless, then “El Conde”, “Priscilla” and “Chalk”, touching films from the auteur days, “Killer”, “Memory”, ” Dog Man are the titles that are closest to my heart and that I can’t wait to enjoy again in the theater. I have 34 films on my counter, plus 1 mid-length film and 7 shorts, but my festival adventure was enlivened by meeting artists I’d only seen on the big screen, lessons learned, advice and experiences gained. . However, it is being together that makes it all special, knowing that I am not alone in pursuing my passion, but also being able to talk and discuss it, knowing that there is always someone next to me who will share my dream.

Greetings from Martin McDonagh.

Every day was special because of the people I met, from my roommates Alessia, Erica, Frida and Irene to exhibition friends including Aida, Alberto, Alessandro, Julia, Monica, Oscar, Samuel, just to name a few. My greatest gratitude goes to them for accompanying me on this adventure, and also to you, who accompanied me episode after episode at the Cinema exhibition.