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London-based Chilean-Indian director Shalini Adnani’s debut feature “Our Share of Sand,” about a 12-year-old girl named Maya who returns to rural India to reconnect with her estranged father, is among standout entries
in the upcoming Venice Film Festival Critics’ Week.
The section, dedicated to first works from around the world, also comprises two titles from Colombia: the fiction-documentary hybrid “The End of Times,” a political piece co-directed by Bibiana Rojas Gómez and Juan David Cárdenas that uses artificial intelligence and explores colonialism and capitalism in Colombian history, and Sebastián Múnera’s drama “Meteorite,” about plans to build an amusement park
on the grounds of the former estate of drug lord Pablo Escobar.
Italy also features prominently in the lineup, with Paris-based Tommaso Usberti’s “Before the War,” about a young man named Guido raised within a Northern Italian racist milieu who falls in love with a Kosovar immigrant named Sonia, ensconced in a competition slot.
Also from Italy is the section’s out-of-competition opener, existential noir “Giaffa the Great” directed by Marco Santi, while the closer — also out-of competition — is Italian rap musical “Rider,” co-directed by Roan Johnson and the local music producer known as Dade (Davide Pavanello). “Rider” follows a young food delivery driver who delivers a huge sushi order to a luxurious villa on the outskirts of Milan and is invited to stay for the evening.
The seven features competing in Venice Critics’ Week are all by first-time directors and all world premieres.
Rounding off the section’s competition are Tunisian dystopian drama “The H@llow Man” by
Kamel Laaridhi, set in 2059 Tunisia where a biochip regulates memory and suppresses emotion; Chinese drama “Zoom In, Zoom Out,” by Dong Jie, about a young video game designer who embarks on a journey to seek his missing roommate Gao following a clue hidden in an online game; and Brazilian drama “London,” by Victor Di Marco and Márcio Picoli, about a dilemma faced by a disabled young adult.
“Whilst the industry at large is grappling with its crises, these works are proof that cinema never stopped asserting its own cruciality,” said Venice Critics’ Week general delegate Beatrice Fiorentino in a statement. “This cinema is fierce and independent, daring and vibrant, resolute in its reminder that our collective imagination can, and indeed must, continue to be rewritten.”
All Venice Critics’ Week competition entries will compete alongside titles in the official selection for the fest’s Lion of the Future prize, which is worth $100,000.
The 83rd edition of Venice Film Festival will run Sept. 2-12, with its official selection lineup being announced on Thursday. See all the Venice Critics’ Week titles below.
COMPETITION
“The End of Times,” Bibiana Rojas Gómez, Juan David Cárdenas (Colombia)
“The H@llow Man,” Kamel Laaridhi (Tunisia)
“London,” Victor Di Marco, Márcio Picoli (Brazil)
“Meteorite,” Sebastián Múnera (Colombia)
“Our Share of Sand,” Shalini Adnani (India, United Kingdom, Greece)
“Prima Della Guerra,” Tommaso Usberti (France, Italy)
“Zoom In, Zoom Out,” Dong Jie (China)
OUT OF COMPETITION
“Il Grande Giaffa,” Marco Santi (Italy) — Opening Film
“Rider,” Roan Johnson, Davide Pavanello (Italy) — Closing Film
