Venice 2007

"Jimmy Carter Man from Plains"

"La graine et le mulet"

Venice's 63rd Festival, which programmed more than the usual number of American films and was supported by a bevy of Hollywood stars, was not, however, won by America but by Ang Lee's for the second time in three years. His Mata Hari-like thriller Lust Caution, set in China and with a Chinese cast, was rumoured to be the compromise candidate after the jury of film-makers, chaired by Zhang Yimou, argued long and hard about the merits of two other films. One was La graine et le mulet (France), which gained the FIPRESCI Prize, and the other Todd Haynes' "ruminative biography" of Bob Dylan, I'm Not There. In the end, both films received Lions, with Kate Blanchett, who plays Dylan in the Haynes film along with five other actors, also winning the Best Actress Prize. Brad Pitt, who appeared as Jesse James in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, won Best actor and Brian de Palma won Best Director for Redacted, his "improvised documentary" about the Iraq war. (Derek Malcolm)

FIPRESCI Prizes: La graine et le mulet by Abdellatif Kechiche (competition), Jimmy Carter Man from Plains by Jonathan Demme (Horizons).
Details of the FIPRESCI Prizes
64th Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica, August 29 — September 8, 2007 www.labiennale.org

Reports

A Venice Not Yet In Peril. Despite the emergence of the Rome Film Festival and the uncertainty of the future of director Marco Mueller, this year's festival was a high-profile affair with the presence of many stars. Derek Malcolm looks at the strong program of films from America, with the East and Europe also battling for accolades.
The Secret of Success. Abdellatif Kechiche's third film The Secret if the Granes (La graine et le mulet) has proved just as popular in festivals as his previous two. However, Peter van Bueren claims that the director is still little known because of the small distribution of his films.
Jimmy Carter: Man from Plains. This Jonathan Demme directed documentary won our prize in the parallel sections. Zlatko Vidackovic commends a portrait of the former American President whose priority was not ensuring the American national interest at any cost but as an honest fighter for peace, environment and human rights.
Ghosts in Town: In the City of Sylvia. The unique José Luis Guerín's latest film contains hardly any dialogue but still has Àngel Quintana enthralled in its subject matter of romantic love while also charting the essence of film itself.
Brian De Palma and the Politics of Image Today. The veteran director of films that often pay homage to the legends of cinema makes a radical departure with this state of the world digital feature. Pedro Butcher claims that De Palma has produced a never-seen before compendium of new formats of capturing and distributing image and sound, Redacted.
A Few of My Favourites. A look at the best films in the other sections of the festival according to Blagoja Kunovski. These four films all have in common a certain state of madness in the main characters; people who find themselves as victims, loners or outsiders.
Monica, Why Don’t You Cry For Me? The recently deceased Italian underground filmmaker Alberto Grifi reminisces on a poignant period of his life which involved prison, Michelangelo Antonioni and Monica Vitti. Davide Zanza sees in this final documentary a search for truth and justice that remains unresolved after his death. 
Sex and Profiteers threaten to undermine the Venice Legend. The oldest and most respected of all film festivals has caused Ahmed Muztaba Zamal to be shocked at some films in this year's program. He is also concerned about principles of profitability being preferred above aesthetics.

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