Venice 2023: Roman Polanski's "The Palace" and more...

by Elisa Giudici

"The Palace"

Venice is experiencing an absence this year: the middle-ground movies. While there are some mind-blowing films and quite a few terrible ones, those good yet imperfect titles are notably missing. This 80th edition of the festival has been quite the rollercoaster, with moments of brilliance followed by real disappointments. Some movies have sunk so low that they become oddly memorable. Let's take a closer look at a few of the disappointments witnessed in Venice recently.

THE PALACE by Roman Polanski
It might be too early to pass judgment, but Polanski's latest film is a disaster of such magnitude that I hope the title of the worst movie in competition won't fall to an Italian entry...

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Venice 2023: Three terrific films that could be formidable Oscar players

by Elisa Giudici

Venice's 80th edition feels weaker (in terms of competition films) than the previous editions I've covered for The Film Experience. That said there are some strong contenders for the Golden Lion, and a few exceptional pieces of filmmaking. Here are three movies that stand out from the crowd. What's more they each have the potential to be strong Oscar contenders after Venice. 

I'll present them in order of their excellence, from the very good to the simply superb...

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Venice 2023: Mongolia's "City of Wind" and Michael Mann's "Ferrari"

by Elisa Giudici

"City of Wind"

The first surprise in Venice, City of Wind, was a delightful one. It's incredibly rare to come across a Mongolian film, so I made sure to set aside 104 minutes for a teen romance and shamanic party time adventure;xTime well spent! Keep an eye on this title for both the Orizzonti Palmares and the Best International Movie Oscar race. And speaking of Oscar hopefuls, Ferrari also pulled up on the Lido...

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Elisa hits Venice once again!

Our favourite Italian journalist Elisa Giudici has arrived at the Lido for the 80th annual Venice Film Festival. I had the pleasure of attending with Elisa two years ago and though I couldn't make it this year, Elisa will do her usual wonderful job of filling us in on the details. Elisa's first review will be up tonight. In the meantime do follow Elisa on Instagram. 

Once Elisa is done at Venice, the festivals continue across the ocean. This year Claudio will be our man on the ground at TIFF for the first time, so stay tuned. 

Cannes: Two strong contenders for the Palme d'Or

Elisa Giudici reporting from Cannes

THE ZONE OF INTEREST

If the Palme d'Or goes to a movie that pushes the boundaries of cinema as artistic expression, director Jonathan Glazer will have virtually zero competition. It is quite a rare moment in which, as a spectator, you realize that you are witnessing a true cinematic original. Making a movie about the Holocaust that feels groundbreaking is especially challenging given the plethora of films that have addressed and educated the world on the harrowing topic. 

In Glazer's adaptation of Martin Amid’s The Zone of Interest, not a single actor's face is shown in close-up for more than a couple of seconds...

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