VENICE: Hungarian artists and technical craftsmanship is on full display this year in Venice with two films that have recently been shot in Hungary in the main competition, Maria directed by Pablo Larraín and The Brutalist directed by Brady Corbet.

VENICE: The first feature film by Romanian writer/director/producer Bogdan Mureșanu, The New Year That Never Came, which premiered in the Horizons competition of the 81st Venice FF on 1 September 2024, has been sold by Cercamon in France to Memento Distribution. The film is a Romanian/Serbian coproduction.

FNE asked Slovak Péter Kerekes about being back in Venice again after his 2021 win for best screenplay together with Ivan Ostrochovský for 107 Mothers, and why his latest film Wishing on a Star was shot in Italian.

VENICE: The rights to the Serbian/Swedish documentary Possibility of Paradise by Mladen Kovačević are handled by the London-based sales agent Taskovski Films. Possibility of Paradise is screening in the Special Events programme of the sidebar section Giornate degli Autori, taking place during the 81st Venice Film Festival.

VENICE: The Venice Film Festival sidebar Venice Days has suspended the screenings of the second film of Georgian filmmaker Rusudan Glurjidze The Antikvari / The Antique pending the final outcome of a dispute over the copyright to the screenplay by the coproducers of the film.

VENICE: The French/Italian/Georgian coproduction April directed by Dea Kulumbegashvili will have its world premiere on 5 September 2024 within the Competition of the 81st Venice Film Festival (28 August – 7 September 2024). Paris-based Goodfellas is handling the sales.

FNE asked Agnieszka Holland how it felt to be back in Venice after her Special Jury Prize win in Venice for Green Border in 2023.

VENICE: The 81st Venice Film Festival got off to a glittering start with a star studded opening ceremony on Wednesday evening 28 August. After the actors and writers strike of 2023 left the festival mostly without any American star talent, the return of Hollywood stars to the Lido was all the more impressive.

FNE asked Pascal Diot how the Venice Production Bridge has evolved since it started nine years ago.

CANNES: Russian film and theatre director Kirill Serebrennikov’s Limonov-The Ballad screens in competition at this year’s Cannes Festival.