The films of the Venice Film Festival 2024 that we eagerly await

The program for the eighty-first edition of the Venice International Film Festival of the Biennale di Venezia has just been announced. It will be held at the Lido from August 28 to September 7 and will be directed by Alberto Barbera. The jury will be chaired by Isabelle Huppert, and the two Golden Lions for Lifetime Achievement will be awarded to director Peter Weir (who directed Dead Poets Society) and actress Sigourney Weaver, known for her role in Alien, among others. But let's get to the point and, looking at the long lists of titles in and out of competition, let's list the ones we are most excited about.

The films in competition at Venice 2024: Queer - Luca Guadagnino

After Challengers, which helped launch the tenniscore trend, cemented the worldwide fame of Zendaya, and made the whole world realize that Josh O'Connor is one to watch, Luca Guadagnino returns to Venice with Queer, an adaptation of the 1985 novel of the same name by William S. Burroughs. Written by Justin Kuritzkes and set in the 1940s in Mexico City, it tells the story of an American expatriate (Daniel Craig) who falls in love with a young man struggling with addiction (Drew Starkey).

The Room Next Door - Pedro Almodóvar

Almodóvar gave us a beautiful and passionate short film just a few months ago with the man of the moment, Pedro Pascal. Now, he returns to the Venice Film Festival with The Room Next Door, starring Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore. It is his first work entirely in English, and it tells the story of the troubled relationship between a mother and daughter and that between the mother and an author named Ingrid.

Joker: Folie à Deux - Todd Phillips

The trailer has just been released, and we can't wait. Whether you saw the first film or not, the promise of an unstable and singing Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn is enough to make us want to rush to the cinema. The Italian release date? October 2, 2024. We just have to get through the summer.

Babygirl - Halina Reijn

With a title like that, how can we not be curious? Babygirl is an erotic thriller with an amazing cast that includes Nicole Kidman, Harris Dickinson, Sophie Wilde, Antonio Banderas, and Jean Reno. The film explores power imbalances and sexuality in a professional setting through the relationship between a high-ranking executive and a much younger, attractive intern.

Maria - Pablo Larraín

After making films about Jaqueline Kennedy (Jackie) and Lady Diana (Spencer), Larraín continues his filmography of the most fascinating women in contemporary pop culture with Maria, dedicated to the singer Maria Callas. She will be played by Angelina Jolie, with Valeria Golino as her sister Yakinthi and Haluk Bilginer as Aristotle Onassis. There is no release date for Italy yet, but we are already ready to buy our tickets and popcorn. Tissues in hand.

Out-of-competition films we can't wait to see at the Venice Film Festival

There is also great anticipation for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice by Tim Burton, in which we will see Winona Ryder and Jenna Ortega side by side. Alice Rohrwacher, after the international success of La Chimera, presents Allégorie Citadine together with JR. Among the series, all eyes are on M - Il Figlio del Secolo, by Joe Wright, which will see Luca Marinelli playing Benito Mussolini, directly from the novel by Antonio Scurati. Finally, for a bit of nostalgia, restored classics will be screened during the event. Our favorite? Travolti da un insolito destino nell'azzurro mare d'agosto, by Lina Wertmüller.