The oldest film festival in the world, with its 80 editions, narrated through historical and unpublished interviews, a rich repertoire of archival images and the voice of the narrator Carla Bruni: “The Lion’s Share”, a documentary by Baptiste Echegaray and Giuseppe Bucca – produced by Canal Plus and Rai Com under editorial directed by Rai Cultura – recreates the key stages and important moments of the Venice Film Festival, which since its foundation in 1932 has never ceased to be a mirror of its time and an integral part of the history of Italian culture. Divided into three chapters, the documentary opens with “Venice of Glamour” of great stars such as Sophia Loren, Virna Lisi, Gina Lollobrigida, Brigitte Bardot, Penélope Cruz, Monica Bellucci and Cate Blanchett, who have walked the podium several times in Venice and won the Cup Volpi in 2007 and 2022.
The second chapter is devoted to the turbulent times of the Exhibition, the most intense moments, from the showing of the disturbing “Doctor” Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, from the first edition of 1932, during the years of uncertainty of Nouvelle, were celebrated in Venice like nowhere else in the world. In the third part, “Venice the Discoverer”, the exhibition is presented as a showcase for new talents: Pedro Almodovar, Emir Kusturica, Wim Wenders, Akira Kurosawa, Jane Champion are just some of the long list of artists who open at the Lido and find their dedication. In The Lion’s Share, the voices of actors and great directors such as Penelope Cruz, Tilda Swinton, Fellini, Antonioni, Guadagnino – among many others – are mixed with black and white and color images of red carpets, fabulous parties on the beach of large hotels, crowds of enthusiastic fans waiting for the stars. And again a series of protests and scandals, like the one that caused the screening of Scorsese’s film “The Passion of the Christ” in 1988. Hates, then quarrels. says the voice-over of Carla Bruni. “Nothing, after all, it’s more important than cinema.” The Lion’s Share will be presented at the Venice Film Festival as a world premiere on Saturday, September 2.